Opposites Attract
by Aster Sapphire
Summary: When Trinity Love, a hot-headed, highstrung young woman, met a guy online about a year ago, she had no idea that he was a blue-clad, katana weilding, ninja turtle. Once she finds out his true identity, the friends blossomes into a strong bond. But could it lead to something even bigger than that? Leo xOC
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N): I have to ask that you excuse any mistakes in this fic. I was extremely tired when I wrote it. So please PM me about any mistakes you see and I'll fix it. I at least skimmed over it, I wanted to wait to post this, but I worked hard on it (I hope that believable while reading this) Please review! **

**Disclaimer: TMNT is not mine, but all OC are property of yours truly. ;-) **

* * *

"Trinity! Trinity don't do this!" A eighteen year old girl with long, blonde hair was trying her best to keep up with her best friend as she stormed down the sidewalk, carelessly pushing past people and ignoring their complaints as she made her way to the pizza shop at the corner. Finally the blonde girl caught up with her and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a nearby ally and shoving her against the wall.

"Would, you _please _just stop being so stubborn for a second and listen to me!" She yelled breathlessly, and sternly. Her blue-green eyes glared at her friend through her wireframe glasses, as she struggled to keep her from storming off again, which she was doing a surprisingly good job off given how exhausted and petite she was.

Trinity rolls her dark green eyes and stares down at her friend Lana, who was giving her a look that resembled the one her mother used to give her when she snuck sweets before dinnertime as a child. It was taking everything she had not to shove her off at that very moment.

"Okay," Lana started out in a cautious voice. "I know you're upset right now but-

"Upset? _Upset_?! Lana, I just found out that my boss _fired _me, and for no reason what so ever!"

Lana snorted and said, "No reason whatsoever? He _fired _you because you cursed out a customer for under-paying you!" Lana shot back.

Trinity opened her mouth to speak in her defense, but no words same out. She opened again only to sputter and find it closed again. "Ugh! The man only gave me a $11.25, his pizza cost $12.50"

"I know Trinity but you know the number one rule in the fast food business. "The customer is _always _right, even when he's not!"" Lana stated.

"Well, _that _is a very stupid rule! Now let me go, I _need _to talk to Tony!" Trinity said as she finally shoved the blonde girl off. She stormed out of the ally way and marched down the street to the corner where the well-known pizzeria, Tony's, had stood for the past ten years. She took a deep breath and yanked the door open, causing the bells on the top of the frame to sway. She stepped into the eatery, and her eyes scanned to red and white room for her former boss.

She saw sever walk past her and grabbed him by the collar causing to drop the tray of water he was carrying to a nearby table. "Where's Tony?" She demanded ignoring the puddle of water that had spilled onto her yellow flats, as well as the wide-eyed she was getting the customers, who had ceased their previous conversations and turned all of their attention to her. At that very moment, Lana had just entered the restaurant and upon seeing the situation, was obviously confused as to whether or not she should get involved.

"Trinity?" Said the server. He was a young man with spiky brown hair that looked it had never seen a comb in its entire life, and a face in need of proactive. "Trinity what the hell are you doing here? You know you got fired." He said giving her a look of annoyance.

Trinity narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth tightly as she spoke. "Where. Is. Tony."

The sever opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, a voice with a native New York accent said, or rather yelled form the other side of the room, "Trinity, leave my employees alone and get the hell outta my restaurant."

Shooting a glare at the man, Trinity released the sever who stuck out his tongue and gave her a one-finger salute behind her back.

"Tony, you _know _how much I need this job, how am I supposed to pay for my classes and my apartment?" Trinity shot back, as she stepped closer to him.

"Look, if you care about this job so much, than maybe you should try being a more charming person, instead of going insane anytime something doesn't go your way!" The man named Tony shot back. By now, everyone in the restaurant, customers, chefs, cashiers, and severs were all watching the exchange between the man and young woman. Some with amusement, others with shock.

Trinity sighed and said, "Look if you just give me one more chance I'll-

"Trinity, I've given you too many chances already, I'm done putting up with your attitude, now you have until the count of ten to get the fuck outta my restaurant, before I call the cops and they haul you ass off to the slammer!"

"Tony you gotta be kidding me! That's not-

"One."

"Look, I need another-

"_Two_." Tony said cutting her off. He was making his way over to the phone that was on the wall in the back of the pizzeria.

"_Three_."

Lana stepped over to Trinity and placed a hand on her arm. "Trinity, I think you should just go." She said in a low voice. She gave her a friend a look of sympathy and squeezed her on the arm.

"_Four_."

Trinity's jaw tightened and she nodded, before raising her hands in surrender. "Okay, I'll leave." She said in a voice extremely calm, but at the same time, it was extremely furious. She jerked her arm away from Lana's and began to walk away.

"You didn't pay me enough anyways." She hissed before shoving the door open again and storming outside. From inside, Tony placed his hands on his hips and shook his head, as he made his way back into the kitchen. Lana was about to go after her friend but she stopped when Tony said, "Go after her, and you can join her on the un-employment line." He said sternly. Without another word, Lana put her apron on and awkwardly walked up to a family of four, a mom, a dad and two young twin boys who were exchanging, shocked glances.

Lana swallowed and cleared her throat, getting their attention. "So," She said in a nervous voice with a forced smile. "Can I take your order?"

* * *

Trinity stormed home furiously that night. She walked past people, bumping into them, causing them to drop their bags, but as she had done earlier that night she kept going, ignoring the words of anger they shouted after her. As she was opening the door that led to the lobby of her apartment building, she thought she saw a dark, shadowy figure move on the roof of the building next to her apartment. Immediately looking up, she studied the rooftops but saw nothing. "Must be my eyes playing tricks on me." She said as she entered the lobby and headed for the elevator. She stepped inside and punched in the number for her floor.

Trinity all but kicked her door open when she entered her apartment. She roughly, tossed her keys into the bowl that sat on top the small wooden table by the front door. She kicked her of her shoes, and padded across the wooden floor and into the kitchen, where she opened the refrigerator and grabbed the first can of liquid she saw, a Bud Light can. True, she was only 18 and you had to at least 21 to legally drink alcohol, but according to her, nothing's illegal until you get caught.

Popping the lid open, and taking a large swig of the drink, she made her way into her room to change to change clothes. She took of her blue jeans and her "Bazinga!" shirt, and replaced them with a pair of dark blue sweat pants and a yellow tweety bird tank top, she lid her feet into her fluffy white slippers and grabbed a scrunchie off her dresser.

She looked in the mirror at the reflection of her tired face as she tied up her half dark brown/half light brown, arm pit length hair into a ponytail. There were bags forming under her eyes on her dark brown skin. She hadn't been really surprised to see them. She had really been pushing her limit lately. Dealing with rude customers at Tony's, practicing her Dance routines for hours on end until her feet began to blister, and now that she longer had a job, she would have to deal with the long, process of finding a new one. Add the fact that her bills were piling up, and her car had been acting up lately to list of her troubles, and she could honestly say that she was very impressed with herself, for not just giving up on trying to make her life easier all together and instead, just spend all of her time curled up in bed all day until her landlord evicted her.

She slapped both of her hands on her face dragged them down miserably. Though she wouldn't admit to anyone in neither, this lifetime; nor the next, she had really screwed up with her job at Tony's. Did she have to make such a big deal over a customer under-paying her? No. Did she _have _to argue with him for nearly five minutes over $1.25? No. Did she _have _to threaten to beat him like a piñata? Not necessarily, no. But avoiding unnecessary arguments with people, hadn't always been her strong point.

"You just can't do _anything _right these days, can you Trinity?" She said to herself. She walked over to her bed and plopped down on the dark green spread. She grabbed her laptop from the nightstand and opened it, so that it revealed her Facebook page. Not a minute after she logged on, she heard the familiar ping meaning that she'd gotten a new message, she didn't really feel like talking to anyone, but opened the message and read it anyways. It read:

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Hey, how's life treating you?**_

Trinity smiled. It was from Leonardo Hamato, a mysterious young man she'd been chatting online with for about a year now. He was one of the very people on the face of the earth, who she trusted with her secrets as much as she did, Lana. Overtime the relationship between the two had slowly grown from a simple online friendship, to a bond she had with very few other people. He was a pretty easy person to talk to…whoever he was. He seemed very disciplined, supportive, and noble. Traits you don't find in many men. But what really stood out to her was that he seemed very serious. Sure he would make a joke every now and then, but other than that; the conversations they had were always about what was going on in their lives rather than TV shows, movies or music. She didn't mind this much, although she wished that he would loosen up sometimes, but at the same time she respected and admired his seriousness and would always enjoy the conversations she had.

Still smiling as she typed, she replied:

_**Trinity Love**_

_**As of this moment, it's kicking my ass. :-'( I got fired today.**_

There was a short pause as Trinity waited for a response from Leo, during which she decided she was hungry. She went into the kitchen and opened the pantry. She grabbed a pack of Oreos and a jar of peanut butter. She returned to her room and opened both items, she took a Oreo cookie and dipped in the peanut butter before taking a bite. A habit, she'd picked up from an old boyfriend back in her hometown in Tallahassee. As she munched on her snack she read the message that Leonardo had sent her in her absence.

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Lemme guess, it was because of the under-paying guy wasn't it? Lol, I swear you over react to things. You remind me of my brother.**_

Narrowing her eyes, and furrowing her brow her hands, which were sticky from the peanut butter, flew across the keys leaving smears and stains on each one she touched.

_**Trinity Love**_

_**DON'T LAUGH AT ME YOU ASSHOLE! I'M JOBLESS I COULD BE ON THE STREET AT ANY MINUTE! :-P**_

She crossed her arms and glared at the screen as she waited the response that came two seconds later.

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Okay, okay I'm sorry. *waves white flag* But seriously, what are you gonna do? You don't know anyone who could get a job?**_

Smiling at his reply, and her victory Trinity responded.

_**Trinity Love**_

_**Nope. No one. And my bills are piling up, FAST. I'm so screwed **_

Trinity dipped another Oreo into the jar of peanut butter and took another bite, with a pouty look on her face. She must've looked pretty pathetic right now. She thought to herself. Sitting alone in her bedroom, talk to someone online she barely knew, while feasting Oreo's, peanut butter, and a can of beer she wasn't legally allowed to drink all while being broke and jobless. If someone watching her wasn't pitying her, they were surely laughing hysterically.

Another ping sounded. She looked at the screen and read the message.

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Okay….what if I told you I **_**might be able to help you out here?**

Upon reading this, Trinity's jaw dropped, but she closed back just in time to stop the disgusting mixture of Oreos and peanut butter from falling into her lap. She swallowed and chased it down with another swig of beer before burping loudly.

"I really disgust myself sometimes." She mumbled to herself. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as they typed a response that said:

_**Trinity Love**_

_**OMG?! Really? Please, tell me I'll do anything! **_

She sat back and anxiously waited for Leonardo's response, practically shaking with happiness,

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Okay, you that antique shop, 2**__**nd**__** Time Around?**_

Trinity raised her eyebrows when she read the message. She had seen the antique shop before. In fact, she passed it a few times on her way to work. She had never really been interested enough to stop by and purchase anything though. She sent a response saying:

_**Trinity Love**_

_**Yeah, I've passed by it a few times. Why?**_

About a minute later, Leonardo replied:

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Okay, so I'm **_**very **_**close friends with the woman who owns it. Business has been picking up lately but she needs an extra hand around the shop. I'm sure I could talk her into letting you work there. She kind of owes me one. **_

_**You interested?**_

Trinity's eyes grew wide and she gasped. Her fingers barely touched the keys as they flew across them.

_**Trinity Love**_

_**No DUH?! I'm interested! **_

The reply came within, a minute after she sent hers and it read:

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Okay but there's ONE condition. You HAVE to behave. She's really sweet but, believe me when I tell you that she has her limits. **_

Rolling her eyes, and grinning Trinity typed:

_**Trinity Love**_

_**Psssh, little ol' me? Misbehave? Why that's simply preposterous. **_

She ate another peanut butter covered Oreo as she awaited the response. There was another ping and she laughed as she read the message.

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Yeah right, I'm pretty sure they have you as a synonym in the thesaurus for the word trouble maker. Haha.**_

_**But, I'm serious. She's a good family friend and I don't want her pulling her hair out because of **_**you.**

Smiling and still laughing as she typed, Trinity said:

_**Trinity Love**_

_**Alright, I'll behave. I promise. ;-)**_

As always a response came seconds later saying:

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Great, I'll talk to her tonight and you can drop by tomorrow afternoon. **_

Trinity felt a warm feeling inside of her. It was strange how someone you had never seen before could be so generous. "That reminds me." She said as she typed a response.

_**Trinity Love:**_

_**Thanks Leo…this REALLY means a lot to me. You have no idea how much you're helping out. Maybe I'll get to see you when I get there. We could have lunch that day or something.**_

This time the response was delayed. Trinity sighed and her shoulders slumped. Another strange thing about Leonardo, as if it wasn't strange enough that she had never seen him before, anytime she bought is up, it would suddenly take longer for him to respond and he would always either make up an excuse about having to leave, or he would completely ignore the subject, Like now for instance. His response read:

_**Leonardo Hamato**_

_**Hey anything to help out a friend ;-) I gotta go, it's getting pretty late and I need to go and talk with April, before she gets tired and goes to bed. Sweet dreams!**_

And before Trinity was able to respond he signed off. Trinity rolled her eyes and sighed. "Well it was worth a try." She mumbled. She shut her laptop down and placed it back on her nightstand. She returned the cookies and peanut butter to the pantry, and brushed her teeth before going to bed. She climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering why Leo always avoided the subject of them meeting in person as she did every time she tried to him talk about it. It just didn't make any sense. But finally, her eyelids grew heavy and deciding that was no point in dwelling on the subject any longer, she allowed herself to drift off into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: TMNT isn't mine. Never has been and never will be. I do own Trinity. Now read my story ;-)**

* * *

Letting out a relieved and tired sigh, Leo closed the laptop. The guilt was really begging to take a toll on him. He thought he'd have gotten used to it by now, but instead, each time it only made him feel even worse. He should've known that befriending someone online wouldn't end well. He only agreed to do it, so that Mikey would shut up about it. He never really planned to become such good friends with Trinity. It all started with a conversation on a Gotye video on Youtube. He doesn't remember what the video was exactly, all he knows is that she responded to his comment and started having a long conversation, that went on forever until they finally decided to just continue it on Facebook, everything after that his web chat history (quite literally, mind you).

Standing up and stretching his arms, Leo made his way out of his room. The second he got out Mikey was immediately by his side.

"So what did you and Triiiiiinity talk about tonight?" He teased as he followed Leo making kissing sounds with his mouth.

"None of _your_ business, I can tell you that much." Leo said as he headed towards the exit.

"Ooooh, so it was _sexual_?! I knew you couldn't hold in your _desire _for her any longer. So tell me, when are you guys finally gonna meet, so you can finally make out with each other?" Mikey asked draping an arm around his eldest brothers should.

Leo deadpanned and shook Mikey's arm off before speaking. "Okay. _First _of all, EW! Second of all, I do not _desire _her. Third of all, our relationship will continue to be viral for as long as she can take it, and fourth of all, EW! _What _the hell is wrong with you demented little pervert?"

Mikey shrugged. "Nothing's wrong with me, _you're _the one who has issues. Just meet her in public dude, you guys talk online for like, hours. If she disses just cause you're a mutant than it's _her _loss. You know, because she wouldn't get to meet me? I mean, who wouldn't want to me the, BATTLE NEXUS CHAMPION!" Mikey struck a heroic pose, while Leo stood there looking at him, rolling his eyes.

"I'm headed to April's." He said bluntly as he opened the front door and headed out.

"Why you going to April? Is it for advice on looooove? Because if that's what you want I can give you information about that. Why can I give you information about that? I'll tell you why, because I'm the BATTLE NEXUS CHA-

"Michelangelo!"

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice and turned to see Master Splinter giving Mikey a stern look. "My son, being the Battle Nexus Champion is a great honor, and I am proud of you having such an honor."

"Why thank you Sensei." Mikey said proudly.

"But! If I hear you boast about it, one more time you will never see another comic book, video game, or trading card until you are _my age_! Do you understand?"

Mikey gulped and made his way to his room, dragging his feet the entire time. "Yes, Master Splinter." He mumbled.

"Thanks for the rescue Master Splinter." Leo said with a grateful smile on his face. "I'll return soon, I'm heading to April's."

"Very well my son." Master Splinter responded. "Give her and Mr. Jones my best."

"I will, Master Splinter." Leo said with a bow. As he was heading out he almost bumped into Raph, who was returning home patrol. They said a quick hello to each other before continuing onto their destinations

Leo made it to April's place pretty quickly. He had been there so many times that practically find his way there with his eyes closed. When he got there, he found her sitting her couch cuddling with Casey, watching TV. He tapped on the window and she looked up and smiled at him. She wiggled out of Casey's grasp and made her way over to the window. She opened and let Leo in with a warm smile.

"Hey, what brings you here? Can I get you anything?" She asks motioning him into the living room.

"Oh, no thanks April, I'm fine." Leo says. "Hey Casey." He says to the dark haired man on the couch. But instead of answering Casey just glares, "Dude? Dontcha that when ya see a man cuddling with his hot girlfriend that ya don't botha them? I expected more form you."

"You two spend majority of your time, glued at the hip. I'm sure you can spare her for a few minutes." Leo says crossing him arms.

"I'm sure you can spare her for a few minutes." Casey mocks. He stands up and heads upstairs muttering angrily before slamming the bedroom door.

"Remind me what it is you see in him in him again?" Leo asks with a smirk.

"He's funny, he's cute, and the only guy I can bring around you guys who won't run off screaming." April says counting the reasons off on her fingers. "So wassup?" She asks walking into the living room. She sits on the couch and pats the seat beside her, and Leo sits next to her.

"Well, I was kind of hoping you could do a favor, for someone. Someone very close to me." Leo says in a casual voice.

April rolls her eyes and says, "Look, I'm not giving Mikey another foot massage, that was a _one-t_ime thing and I-

"Don't. Worry. It's nothing like that. I'm still trying to figure out why you did it the first time. Anyways, this favor has nothing to do with Mikey's feet. It's for a um…girl I met. Online." Leo says awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"A girl you met huh? Go on." April says tucking on of her legs in and turning towards to face Leo.

"Well, we've been talking online for a while and we've been getting really close lately. We're pretty good friends." Leo says with a smile. He always did smile when he thought his relationship with Trinity.

"Uh-huh…" April says motioning for him to continue.

"Okay, so she told me that she lost her job today and that she really needs some money, and I figured that with the shop so busy lately, and you needing an extra hand that you could use some help."

"You're just trusting some random on the person on the internet? For all you know, this _girl _could be a foot ninja, pretending to be a girl to get information from you so that he can attack you or something." April said angrily.

"Relax, I checked her out, she's real." Leo said reassuringly.

"Oh really? How do you figure?" April challenged.

Leo rolled his eyes knowing that there was no way of getting out of giving April an explanation. "Well, she told me where she works so I printed out her profile picture and waited out for her to make sure she was telling the truth." Leo said to the couch cushion. He looked up at April who had a look of pure horror on her face.

"What?! I was just trying to make sure this wasn't a trap or anything!" Leo said defensively.

"I know but…_damn _that's creepy!" April said with a small laugh.

Leo sighed. "Do you want me to finish or not?!" He snapped.

"Okay, okay. My bad, carry on Slenderman Jr." April said with smile.

Leo glared at her before continuing. "So _anyways_, I was hoping that since it would benefit both of you, if you wouldn't mind giving her a job here."

"Awwww, that's so _sweet_." April said pinching Leo's cheek. "Sure, just give me her name and phone number and I'll set up and interview see if she'll-

"Actually, that won't be necessary. You see I kinda told her that you already would." Leo said sheepishly.

"Already would? Why the hell would you say that?" April said tossing her hands in the air.

"Well, because I figured you would. You know…because you _owe _me and all." Leo said mischievously.

"Owe you? Owe for what-….aw come on you really don't mean-

"As _I _recall, about a week ago, I came here to visit and you had a _ton _of deliveries sent here for your shop and _no _moving crew to help it in. Everyone else was busy and you couldn't find a moving crew to get it all settled in, in time. So _who _stayed here _all night _and helped you re-arrange the _entire _shop?"

"You did…"April admitted guiltily.

"And _what _did you say to me that night?" Leo asked as he pretended to think.

"I said, that you really helped out, and that I owed you big time, and that anytime you needed a favor feel free to ask because I would be happy to do it." April said in an annoyed tone. "Ugh. Okay, _fine_. She's hired."

"Really? Thanks April!" Leo said. He pulled the red-headed into a hug and patted her back.

"Alright, she should be here sometime tomorrow afternoon, her name is Trinity Love she-

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second; _Trinity Love_? As is in the Trinity Love that was fired from Tony's for harassing a customer over $1.25? _That _Trinity Love?" April inquired.

"You…know about that?" Leo asked, in a surprised tone.

"I go to Tony's to get pizza for you guys quite often. I've walked in on him ranting about her a quite few times. We chat pretty often, he called and told me about what happened when he fired her. Let's just say it _did not _go well. Sorry but I can't have her driving customers away, Leo."

"Don't worry, I told her to behave, and besides, she's a very sweet person so long as she isn't, you know, _provoked_." Leo said with a nervous laugh. April didn't looked moved and just sat there staring at him.

"Five hours of re-arranging April. Five hours!"

"Alright! Alright! Fine, a deal's a deal, I'll hire her. But if she causes me any trouble, than it's gonna be _you _who owes _me _big time." She says standing up to go to bed.

Leo lets out a sigh of relief and gives her another quick hug. "Thanks, April. You are truly an angel." Leo says ash heads towards the window. "Here's her picture." He says handing the printed out photo to April, who looked over it and nodded. "I'll keep an eye out for her." She says tucking it in the pocket of her robe.

"Great, and again thank you." He says climbing out the window. "Make sure you lock up!" He says as he climbs down the fire escape. April nods and closes the window behind him with a sigh. "I really gotta stop _owing _them all the time." She mumbles as she ascends the stairs and heads to her bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All OC are mine. TMNT is not. **

* * *

Trinity awoke early the next morning. Or at least _her _definition of early meaning 11:15am, about an hour before she had to be at the Antique Shop to start her new job. Leo had sent a message later that night telling her that everything was set and that she definitely had the job. She wanted to make a good impression on her new boss so she spent majority of her time that morning preparing herself. She styled her hair in a French braid, and the only make up she wore was a little bit of lip gloss. She was dressed in black converse, blue jeans, and red polo shirt. Satisfied with her appearance she grabbed an apple from the refrigerator for breakfast and headed out the door. Sure she was going to be an hour early, but what better way to start a new job than being punctual?

She was about to leave but before she left, she turned around and rushed over to her dresser. She grabbed the small, wooden, jewelry box. Inside were several small rings, a several earrings that had no matching pair. The only thing in the jewelry box that was of any worth to Trinity was a silver charm bracelet. It had several small charms of various shapes such as, a crescent moon, a heart, a star and a butterfly. Each charm was studded with black diamonds, one of the rarest jewels in the world. She held the charm bracelet in the air for a few seconds, and admired it before fastening it tightly around her wrist. Once it was on she, finally left her apartment and headed out into the busy streets of New York.

Since she had had passed it so many times, Trinity knew that the 2nd time Around was pretty close to her apartment building, so she had no trouble finding it. She stopped in front of the main entrance and took a deep breath. She stepped inside and when was pretty shocked when she looked inside. She had expected the shop to be full of regular old decorations you find on the Home isle at Target there was actually a lot interesting antiques there. There were already several customers walking around admiring the antiques.

There was a rifle that said it had been used in the Civil war and it looked so old and worn that it wasn't hard to believe. Everywhere you looked there were old weapons from wars, authentic pottery that looked Aztecan, and several items from several other eras. She almost regretted not coming into the store sooner.

"Excuse me." A female voice said. Trinity turned to find a woman with red hair pulled back in a ponytail and kind green eyes standing before her. "You must be Trinity Love. Hello, I'm-

"April O'Neil right?" Trinity said shaking the woman's hand.

"Um, yeah that's me, how do you-

"I used to see you coming into to Tony's all the time. You were a pretty frequent customer. I'm pretty sure, you're putting his son through collage." Trinity joked. The two women laughed before the laughter faded into awkward silence.

"Look, April, can I call you April? I'm pretty sure you were told about my um "behavioral problems" and I just want you know I promise, I'll do my best not to make that mistake again…I _really _need a job."

April sighed. "Yeah, I was definitely told of your "issues" but it seems as if you've learned your lesson, and like you said, you really need this so if this is how I can help you, then so be it." April says.

Trinity nodded. "Great! So um… Leo; is he around?" Trinity asked hopefully.

"Oh, um. No, he isn't actually…I haven' seen him all day….sorry." April felt an immense amount of pity for the young woman, as the hopeful smile drained from her face and was replaced with a heartbreaking frown. It's not like she hadn't seen the question coming, and didn't prepare herself to be the bearer of bad news, but that didn't mean it caused the look of distraught on Trinity's face to have any less of an impact on her.

"So! Let's get started shall we?" April said suddenly deciding not to dwell on the subject any longer.

"Oh, okay then." Trinity said with a nod, forcing a smile onto her face. Trinity followed April to the back of the shop where she entered a room that Trinity assumed was an office. It was nothing extraordinary, but was instead small and cozy. There was a large wooden desk in the middle of the room, behind was a small leather office chair, with two arm chairs in front of it. The desk was cluttered with newspapers, pencils, pens, magazines and notecards. The beige walls were bare except for a few oil paintings, and for some reason a wall clock in the shape of a turtle shell.

"Sorry, about the mess. Like, Leo told you, the shop's been pretty busy lately so I haven't had the time to clean this place up." April said. She pushed several papers out of the way and reveled a Macbook Pro that had been buried under the mess. Trinity followed and sat in the chair as April began to explain what Trinity needed to do.

"Okay, so here's what I need you to do. That phone," April said pointing to a black house phone sitting next to the laptop. "Is going to ring. _A lot_. Usually when people call they just want to know if I have a certain item in my stock, which you can check on a spreadsheet I have pulled up. Once you know, you just have to tell them."

Trinity nodded slowly and frowned as she looked at the long list of items on the spreadsheet. April noticed this and put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry, it's not that bad. I mean, it most certainly isn't _good _but eventually you become immune to the boredom." April said. She looked down at Trinity's wrist and her eyes widened upon noticing her charm bracelet.

"Is that black diamond?" April asked, still admiring the bracelet.

Trinity gave April a small smile and nodded. April was stretching her hand out to touch it, but before she could, Trinity snatched her hand away, and gave a April a glare, before she knew what it was doing.

"Oh, I didn't realize I was-

"No, no. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted that way. It's just that…this bracelet, is very important. I'm, pretty protective of it." Trinity said pressing the piece of jewelry close to her chest.

"Oh. Okay then. I totally understand." April said patting her on the shoulder. "Well, I actually have lunch in about an hour so you won't be in hell for too long." April said reassuringly. There was the sound of a bell from the front of the store and April and Trinity looked out the doorway to see an elderly woman standing at the front desk with a set of figurines, tapping her foot impatiently. Behind her were several other people. "And, speaking of hell." April muttered. She wasn't talking to anyone in particular but Trinity laughed anyways. April forced a smile into her face that Trinity liked to call, "The Flight Attendant Smile" and headed out the door, apologizing to the customers and even promising them a small discount for the wait. This apparently seemed to please them seeing as how frustration they had disappeared entirely. Trinity didn't know how this April woman, managed to stand her ground against customers like that for so long but she knew, that needed to take tips.

Her first call came shortly after April left and it wasn't as bad as she thought it be, in fact. None of them were. The next time the phone rang Trinity glared at it and snatched off the hook. Before she even had a chance to speak, another voice began speaking so loudly, and so suddenly that Trinity jumped and had to juggle the phone in her hands several times before catching it and placing it against her ear.

She had been expecting to yelled at and called names, but they callers were actually pretty nice. The hour flew by very quickly and Trinity sat back in her chair with a sigh of relief when April flipped the open sign to closed. She walked back into office and giggled when she saw Trinity leaning back in the chair.

"I take it things went well?" April joked as she grabbed her purse off of a hook by the door.

"Well…it was certainly…draining, is the best way to put it." Trinity said pushing away from the desk.

"Well don't worry, once we're done with lunch we'll on have about, seven hours to go. But don't worry, you'll get more breaks." April said patting her shoulder. "I'm gonna go ahead, leave. Meet you back here in about an hour?"

"Sounds great." Trinity said. April nodded and turned to leave but Trinity called after her.

"Yeah?" She asked turning around.

"April…how _long _have you known Leo? And how did you guys meet? I mean, and I realize this will sound stupid but have you ever seen before? Because I've known him for about a year and every time I ask to meet him some place in person, he always says he has to go." April had a stunned look on her face, as she struggled to answer, noticing her behavior Trinity continued. "I'm assuming you've known him longer than I have so I was hoping you could tell me about him. Is he shy, or insecure or something? Because whatever it is, I swear I won't judge, if that's why he won't show himself."

"Uh…um…I…uh"

"Hey, babe you ready to go?!" Called a voice from the front of the store. April silently thanked Casey, for saving her, as he made his way into her office. He was wearing a long sleeved gray shirt, with a short sleeved black one on top, with dark blue jeans, and white sneakers. He had jet black shoulder length hair, olive skin and electric blue eyes. He had pretty large muscles and had to be at _least _six and a half feet tall, so he towered over April, who had to stand on her tip toes, to kiss him, even after had bent down some. He spoke a deep Brooklyn accent.

Trinity found herself dangerously close to drooling as she stared at him. She quickly closed her mouth turned her head away awkwardly.

He walked in gave April a hug and a quick kiss on the lips before noticing Trinity.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't you had someone over. You're Trinity right? April's new secretary?"

"Yup that's me." Trinity smiling tightly. She didn't know who this handsome man was, but she secretly cursed him for coming to April's rescue.

"Hi, I'm Casey." He holding her hand in a tight grip as he shook it. "I heard about what you did at Tony's. Niiice. Way to stick it to man!" April shot him a glare and hit him in the stomach with the back of her hand.

"Well come on Casey, we should get going. You know how busy the Deli gets during the lunch rush." April said taking his arm and leading him out of the room.

"Right, well thanks for helping April Trinity. Nice meeting ya." He said. He smiled brightly before being dragged out of the office by April. Once the two were out of earshot, April said, "Thanks for the save, Case." She said gratefully.

"Anytime, you know me. I _always _have perfect timing." He winked at her, and the couple kissed tenderly before leaving the shop and heading to the restaurant for lunch.

Meanwhile, back in the office, Trinity was pacing back and forth around the office. She was no longer hungry. She knew April was keeping something from her about Leo, and was determined to find out what it was.

Once the lunch hour, which Trinity spent napping, was over, April returned and the rest of the day flew by very quickly; there were about 20 other customers that came in, and about twice as many that called. While Trinity was grateful that she had a new job, it didn't mean that the work wasn't mind numbing, exhausting, and extremely dull. She folded her arms across the table and let her head drop into them. She was enjoying the relaxation when April walked in and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up and the first thing she saw was a wad of cash in April's hand. She watched in glee, as April counted several of the bills in the large stack and handed it to Trinity, who was trying to figure out whether or not this was a joke or not.

"A-are you seriously giving me all of _this_?! Where the hell did _this _come from?!" Trinity asked as she counted out $125.

"Well, I'd hate to brag but the antiques in this store a genuinely rare. Stuff you can't find unless you either A) have a time machine, or B) can raid tombs and get out alive. It's also pretty popular. I used to just divide the money between bills, charity; and myself but now that you're here you get your own cut. Sound fair?"

"Sounds _very _fair to me. I'm just glad I'm not broke anymore." She looked at April and smiled. "Thank you _so _much." She said tucking the money in her bag. She was standing up to leave, but before she could make it to the door, there was a booming clap of thunder followed by the sound of heavy rain, and hail.

April made her way over to the window and looked outside. "Uh-oh." She mumbled. Trinity joined her, in looking out the window and frowned. "Can't believe I have to walk home in this."

"You're gonna go out there? You sure it's pretty dangerous out there, and I wouldn't want anything to happen you. I _need _the extra help." April said with a smile.

Trinity rolled her eyes and said, "Thanks for your _concern _but I'll be fine, I only live about a block away from here so I'll be-

Trinity was interrupted by the sound of metal clanging outside. She looked out the window to see a battered stop sign lying in the middle road, and harsh winds causing flower pots and chimes to sway in the winds.

"On second thought, maybe I could hide out here. You know, if you wouldn't mind." Trinity said.

April nodded and guided Trinity over to the spiral staircase in the middle of the shop. The two women ascended them until they found themselves in April's large living room. April immediately used her cell phone to call Casey to make sure she was alright.

Trinity watched her from the couch with a smile on her face. She had only seen the couple interact once but could tell how much they cared for each other. Not to mention that how adorable they looked together made her want to both gush over them and puke. But mainly puke.

She wasn't proud of herself because of it, but Trinity never liked seeing happy couples. Every time she did, they reminded her of what she so badly wanted. She didn't know _why _she didn't have boyfriend. She felt that it wasn't bragging to say that she was good looking. She had a pretty face, a nice body and a _somewhat _charming personality, yet the only attention ever got from a guy was the occasional mediocre pervert in alleys who she managed to scare off, if she needed too.

She looked on as April giggled at something Casey said on the phone and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I should've taken my chances with the storm." She muttered to herself. As she kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet beside her on April's couch. She looked around and began to notice that April' living room was simply an enlarged version of her desk; cluttered with unnecessary mess.

Some of it, for a 20-something woman, was excusable. The small weights piled in one corner, the magazines scattered across the table, the occasional high heels that were kicked off were always kicked off the front the door of the apartment, from when the woman wearing them, couldn't bear to walk in them any longer, even if it was the ten feet that stood between them, and their bedroom.

Some of the other things though, were just plain random. For instance there were several nuts, bolts, wires and computer chips scattered about on the table, a massive book of Haikus that lay next to those, a playboy magazine with Megan Fox on the cover and about 20 Justice Force comic books that fell of the edge of the coffee and onto a waiting pile of even more that lie on the carpet.

Trinity leaned and picked up a random comic book with the title, "**SILVER SENTRY VS. DR. MALINGUS! THE FINAL BATTLE!**" Trinity wrinkled her nose. She had never been into comic books, and super heroes. Not even as a child. She had probably been the only person at Tony's who didn't see the new Avengers movie when it came out.

She looked up as April made her way over to Trinity, and slid her phone in her pocket. "Sorry about that, Casey gets so chatty sometimes. So can I get you anything?"

"Got any hot coco?" Trinity asked hopefully.

April had to repress a laugh when Trinity asked the question. She had enough hot coco in her pantry to melt the north pole. She kept a large stock for whenever the guys came over on cold nights, and she, Casey, and Master Splinter, would curl up some place in the living room and watch movies, drinking as much hot coco as their bodies could manage. Mikey could go through an entire pack on his own, so she had be sure to have plenty.

"Yoo-hoo, earth to red head?" Trinity said waving a hand in April's face.

"What? Oh, yeah sorry I was lost in April-land for a second there. Hot coco coming right up. You want a marshmallow? The giant ones I mean."

"Sure! I love my coco like that." Trinity said. April winked and emptied a pack of the powdered stuff into a "I NY" mug as well as a hot pink one for herself. She set a kettle of water on the stove and made her way over Trinity on the couch.

"So, Trinity, tell me about yourself. You're my new secretary and I feel as if I hardly know you." April said resting her elbow on the arm of the couch.

"Well what all do you wanna know?" Trinity asked.

"I dunno, let's start with where you're from." April said, peeking on the kettle in the kitchen. Ever since Don "improved" her stove top, the poor kettle could spontaneously combust at any second.

"Oh that's an easy one." Trinity said. "Tallahassee, Florida. I lived there until I turned 18 and then I moved here to go to Julliard."

"Interesting. Julliard. What do you do? Sing? Act? Dance?" April asked, glad that she as getting to know more about the young woman.

"No. No. Yes. I've been dancing since I was a little girl." Trinity responded. There was a sudden silence between the two when Trinity had a sudden realization. _This _was her opportunity. She could finally learn more about Leo. If she could just ease into it carefully enough…

"So what about you April? You're my boss, and I feel like I hardly know _you_. Have you _always_ worked in the shop?" Trinity asked.

April snorted and scoffed. "No, the shop was actually a back up plan for me. I had another job before this but….let's just say it didn't go so well."

"Was it your boss?" Trinity asked in and understanding tone.

Again April scoffed. "Oh yeah. He _definitely _had some issues. I've only been running the store for about a year or two. Business was pretty slow at first, but you know that show Hollywood Treasures?"

Trinity's jaw dropped. "No _way_! You were on there?!" Trinity asked excitedly.

"No, no. But one of the guys from the show came in. He was just interested in antiques period. Hollywood related or not. He bought something, he liked what he saw, tweeted about it, and now a bunch of antique lovers come in a lot." April said reminiscently.

"Cool, and what about your friends? You know, other than that big load of sexy I met earlier." Trinity said with a laugh.

"Hey back off," April warned kiddingly. She was enjoying the conversation she was having with Trinity, but knew _exactly _what she was doing. _This girl just won't quit will she_, April thought to herself. "Well, I mainly hang out with a lot my friends from college. I'm closet to a woman named Irma Langenstein." April said. She heard the kettle whistle and excused herself to go and get the hot beverages.

"Oh so _that's _how you wanna play it?" Trinity said to April under her breath. April returned with two steaming mugs in her hands and handed one to Trinity who accepted it with a warm smile.

"So no one else? Just college friends huh?" Trinity challenged. April nodded innocently as she sipped her coco.

"So who does all of this belong to?" Trinity asked motioning at the mess on the table with one arm.

April's eyes widened and she visibly stiffened. Trinity hid an evil smirk in her mug. _Consider your nerves _struck. She thought to herself as she watched April struggle to answer the question. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom and shower, so I can get into my pj's. Make yourself at home." April said suddenly she set her mug down hurried away.

Trinity cursed under her breath and sighed. She reached into her yarn shoulder bag to take out her iPod, but was surprised to find it wasn't there. "Dammit." She groaned. "Must've left it down stairs." She said. She stood up and headed downstairs. She looked outside the window and saw that the storm had died down to a steady fall of rain. She was heading into the office to grab her bag when she heard something at the backdoor. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she made her over to the backdoor and looked the small window in the door.

She couldn't see because it was too dark, but she was able to make out four bulky figures standing in the ally outside of April's backdoor. Three of which were holding a large box. Trinity pressed her ear against the door and strained to hear their words, managing to hear the last words one of them said.

"- just get out of here before anyone see's us. I don't feel like getting into any trouble tonight."

Trinity's eyes widened. "Sons of bitches are stealing merchandise." Trinity knew they would be gone by the time she got her cell phone. She looked around the room and found a large wooden bat. She didn't question why it was there. She just grabbed it from the corner and headed out the backdoor. The figures were already walking away.

"Trinity Love, this is the _stupidest _thing you have _ever_ done." She said to herself. She raised the bat and ran towards the figures, preparing to have the bat make contact with the very first face she saw.

Raph's POV

"Remind again why we have to haul all this crap back to the lair?" I asked, or rather growled as we left April's shop.

There was a thud behind be me and I turned to see that Don had set down the tea set he was carrying and staring at me.

"Okay first of all-

"Oh, God here we go."

He ignored me and continued talking anyway. "We're _here_ because you managed to break the last china set while trying to kill Mikey, and _second _of all what do you mean _we_? Mike, Leo and I are the only ones actually carrying anything. Which is strange seeing as how the three of us didn't _do _anything."

"Yeah dude!" Mikey chimed in. "Last time, _I _checked, _you _were the one that destroyed the China, I as simply running away from you, while you chasing me with a _hammer_!"

"Well, then hopefully you've learned you're lesson. Maybe next time, you won't dump rubber spiders on Raph while he's in the shower. You know bugs make cry like a little girl." Leo said with a smirk on his face.

"I'm not _scared _of bugs I just don't-

"You just don't what? You don't like them? Because it seems to me as if-

"Shut up, dumb ass! You don't hear that someone's following us!" I said to Mikey being sure to slap in the back of the head. He stuck his tongue out at me but strained to hear.

We all standing there, and the next I know, out of fucking _nowhere_, I hear a loud yell and a bat swinging towards my face.

Reacting on instinct I grabbed the person's arm before they could bash my brains out, and kicked them in the stomach before grabbing my said, and sending the pommel directly into their face. There was a grunt of pain, which I _swear _was feminine and then a thud, and a clanking sound.

"Raph, what the hell happened?" Don asked making his way over to me. Mikey and Leo had set their boxes down and were now standing next me. Lying on the ground at our feet was unconscious black girl, who looked about 18, lying on the ground. Blood was flowing from her nose, and though I'm no doctor I'm pretty sure it was broken. Mikey, Don and I had no idea who she was but from the look on Leo's face, he did.

"Oh…shit." He said. I immediately became concerned. It was very rare that Leo that cursed and whenever he did, something terrible happened.

"You know this crazy bitch, Leo?" I asked him. He was looking at her they deer looked when headlights were coming towards it. It would've been pretty funny if I wasn't so damn confused right now.

"Oh shit!" He said burying face in his hands and kneeling down by the girls side. "Dammit, Raph why'd you do this!"

"Me?! Some homicidal chick, charges at me with a bat and when I defend myself you blame _me_?! What the hell does it matter to you anyway? Who is she?"

Leo groaned and said, "You guys know that girl I've been talking online with all year?"

"You mean the one you keep denying you have the hots for?" Mikey joked, earning a glare from Leo.

"Wait, _that's_ Trinity? What's she doing hanging out around the back of April's shop with Casey's bat?" Don asked Leo.

"She lost her job, so I talked April into letting her work at the Antique Shop, today was her first day." Leo explained.

"Damn, you got her job? You really do have the hots for her." I said with a smirk. Leo's face turned red and his jaw tightened. I never got to see Leo pissed very often, so I was enjoying this.

"Come on, let's get her back to April's." Leo said. He scooped Trinity up, who as limp as boiled noodle and began walking away.

Don sighed. "One night. I just wanna go _one night _without having to clean up someone's blood!" He yelled before storming after Leo. I felt Mikey nudge me and he said, "So how do you think she's gonna react to finding out Leo's a giant turtle? I mean, that's some serious baggage man. $20 says she dumps him!" He yells as he runs off.

I just stay back and slap my face before I follow him. It is _amazing _what we manage to get ourselves into sometimes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: TMNT is not mine. But all OC were created by me. ;-)**

* * *

"Trinity! Trinity! Trinity where are – Oh my _God_!" April ran over to Leo the second she saw Trinity. She had gotten a little worried when she emerged from her bed room in her green flannel pajamas and fussy neon yellow socks.

"What the _hell _happened to her?" She asked as she followed the guys upstairs. Leo set Trinity down on April's couch and moved out of the way as Donnie began to clean up her blood and check her for any more injuries.

"Ask Mr. Sunshine over here." Mikey said pointing a thumb at Raph. April's eyes shot to him asking for an explanation.

"She charged at me with a bat what was I supposed to do? Just let her bash my brains out?" Raph said defensively.

"If it was your _brain _she was looking bash out, than you were safe." Mikey said teased flopping down in an armchair.

Raph shot him a look and glared at him to which Mikey responded by sticking his tongue out and no sooner than two seconds later, the two of them were wrestling on the floor exchanging insults. April just rolled her eyes at them and walked away. Had not known them for so long, she would've been freaking out and trying to break it up, but at this point, seeing these two fight was about as rare and surprising as seeing a tree when you walk through the rain forest.

She noticed Leo standing by the window by himself and walked over to him. "You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine…it's just so weird seeing her in person you know? I mean…I always wanted to but…not like…this. Leo said motioning to the bizarre seen in the living room. Don was trying to get Trinity's nose to stop bleeding while Mikey and Raph continued to wrestle.

April laughed. "Well, if you were _my _boyfriend I certainly wouldn't to see this the first time I came over."

"Shut up, Mikey Jr. I swear he is a _horrible _influence on you. And she's _not _my girlfriend." Leo said waving a finger at April before storming over to the couch and kneeling beside Donnie who was holding a bloody dishtowel in his hands.

"I got the bleeding to stop." Don offered optimistically.

"Mhmm, great. And the bad news?"

"Geez, can't get anything past you. Well the bad news is her nose is definitely broken. She'll have to go to a hospital when she wakes up. Other than that she'll be fine." Don said. He was standing and was about to walk away but turned around and said, "Oh, and by the way, how exactly are you gonna explain all of…_this _to her."

"I dunno." Leo said simply in a hopeless and distraught tone.

Don placed a hand on his older brother's shoulder. "Don't worry. Maybe next time you get an online girlfriend you won't let Raph within three feet of her while he's armed." Don said with a smile. But it faded when he saw Leo's deadpan expression and he cleared his throat. "I mean, I'm sure everything is going is to turn out _fine_. We were in this situation with April before, and now we're particularly family. I don't see why it can't happen again." Don said.

Leo chuckled and slapped down on the back. "You're right. Thanks bro."

April who had finally gotten tired of the fighting left the room, and everyone ignored the sound of her bedroom door slamming,.

Don rolled his eyes and snorted. "Of course I'm right. At least _one _of us has to be sometimes." He said. He stood up and went into April's bathroom to search for painkillers, leaving Leo sitting alone on the couch with Trinity. He heard a weak moan, and looked over to see Trinity stirring in her sleep.

"Guys.." Leo said to no one in particular.

"Hold still you little turd!" Raph yelled as he struggled to pin Mikey down. They were oblivious to Trinity who was now opening her eyes and struggling to sit up.

"Guys!" Leo said more urgently.

"No, Raph stop it I mean it that gross! Get your slob back in your mouth." Mikey said. He released a girl scream as he struggled to dodge the saliva dangling from Raph's mouth that was dangerously close to touching his face.

"Guys she's waking –

"WHAT THE _FUCK_?!"

This got everyone's attention. Every looked to Trinity who was whimpering, as her eyes darted from one mutant turtle to another.

"Oh my God!" Trinity yelled. She began to frantically scoot away from Leo and moved of the couch cushion and onto to the chair, she tried to scoot back more but instead, fell onto the carpet, and landing harshly on her backside. She ignored the pain and continued to scoot back until she hit a bookcase.

"April! April help! There are giant frogs in your apartment!" Trinity yelled at the top of her lungs. "What did you frog things do April?! Did you eat her?! Did you!?"

"Hey!" Said a voice. Everyone looked over to Mikey who stormed over to Trinity and kneeled down so there eyes met. "First of all, _we_," He said motioning at all of them. "Are _not _frogs. Second of all _we _are vegetarians! We don't even eat _pepperoni _let alone _people_. I'm Mikey by the way."

Trinity breathing became shaky and she screamed again. "Oh my _God_! It _talks_!" Her hand fumbled around in her jacket and she pulled a small bottle. Mikey eyed it suspiciously and said, "Hey what's tha-….oh no! No don't spray it-

It was too late. Trinity had pushed the nozzle down and sent a mist of pepper spray into Mikey's face who screamed and back pedaled. "My eyes! Oh God, help me I'm blind! My eyes!"

"You're not blind you _idiot_! You're wearing a _mask_! That stuff didn't _touch _your eyes." Raph hissed. Mikey stopped screaming and said, "Dude! That's right! Thanks man!" He said patting Raph on the shell. Raph groaned and face palmed.

Trinity was now huddled in the corner with her knee's drawn tight to her, rocking back and forth. "They are not real. They are not real. You are dreaming. They are not real. They are not real. You are dreaming. They are not real."

Just then, April walked out of her room with a puzzled look her face. When she saw Trinity curled up in the guys frozen in place she said, "Oh no."

"April!" Trinity cried when she saw her. She ran over to the woman and hid behind her, clutching her arms tightly.

"April, I woke up and these weird things were surrounding me and they can talk and I pepper sprayed and nothing happened, and their not frogs, their vegetarians and that one is named Mikey and he's really hyper and they scare me! DO SOMETHING!" Trinity said clinging to April. "Wait…" She said looking at April. "Why aren't you screaming? You're one of them aren't you! You've been wearing a mask this whole time!"

"What no I wasn't-

Trinity tackled April to the ground and began yanking her hair trying, as if trying to remove a mask. as April kicked and screamed struggling to push her off.

Don walked out of the bathroom, took one look at the scene in front of the him, and walked right back into the bathroom closing the door behind him.

"Come on you stupid mask! Come off! Come…OFF!" Trinity yelled as April lie on the floor kicking and trying to push her off. Leo finally grabbed Trinity around the waist, slammed her onto the carpet and pinned her down.

"LISTEN TO ME! WE AREN'T. GOING. TO HURT YOU." Leo said annunciating each word. "If you calm down we'll explain everything, I promise."

Trinity looked at Leo, swamp green eyes full of fear. She tried to lift her arms but with no prevail. She finally stopped and her breathing became normal and her scanned over Leo and she nodded.

"Okay, now I'm going let you go. You have to promise not to-

"Go batshit crazy like you just did." Raph said as he helped April off the ground and smoothed her hair down.

Leo sighed. "What he said. So do we have a deal?" Leo asked in a soft gentle voice.

Trinity was is no way calm, but she also wasn't afraid. She felt as if she could trust the giant turtle pinning her down for some reason. She swallowed, took a deep breath and nodded. Leo smiled at her warmly and released her. Trinity stood up slowly and sat down on the couch. She looked over at April who was rubbing her scalp with a look of pain on her face.

"May I have some water please?" She asked casually. Her voice tired from all the screaming. April glared at her but stood to go a glass of water from the kitchen.

"It got quiet out there!" Don called from his safe haven in the bathroom. "That either means April and/or Trinity is dead, or you resolved everything….I'm reeeeaaaaaally hoping it's the second one."

"You can come out Don! No one's _dead _." Leo said from the living room. Don opened the bathroom door and looked out. Trinity gapped at him but didn't freak out so he moved into the living room and sat down on the arm chair across from Trinity.

"So," Leo said. "I'm guessing you want an explanation?"

Trinity looked around the room at the four mutant turtles before her gaze returned to Leo, and she slowly nodded.

Leo chuckled. "Okay, so it all started with a pet shop...

* * *

"Wow…so…_all _of this happened because of…_slime_?" Trinity asked. By now, she was much calmer. She had decided to move past the whole, freaking out thing, and actually took the time to listen to their story.

She wasn't very pleased when she found out how her nose got broken, but when she thought about it, had the roles been reversed and she was in Raph's place, she would've done the same thing. So getting upset was pretty pointless.

"And _all _this time…_you _were Leonardo Hamato?" Trinity asked looking at Leo. That had been shocked her the most. Suddenly, everything made sense. Why he wouldn't meet her in public, why he had no pictures of himself on his profile, why April lied about him and didn't talk about him. It's funny how the most bizarre things, can clear up such a confusing situation.

"Yeah…and look, I understand if you're mad for me not telling you-

"Woah, I'm not mad. I'm mean I'm shocked out my mind, but…it's like you could've told me without me thinking you were on _acid_. So…I guess that I can't really say I'm upset. Besides…I'm sure a lot of people are guilty of leaving out stuff on the "About Me" portion of their profile." Trinity said.

"Thanks. I'm glad you understand…so…does this mean we're done talking to each other." Leo asked, dreading her answer.

Trinity looked Leo for a moment and said, "Leo…I've been to airports that have less baggage than you. You know that?" Trinity sighed. "But that doesn't change the fact you've been a very good friend to me for about a year now. Hell, you even got me a job when I needed it most. You can't find many humans like that…if I have a chance to have a friend like you I'm gonna take it." Trinity said.

Leo looked bewildered for a moment. "Really? You-you do know these guys are a package deal right?" Leo said pointing at his brothers.

"Hey!" They all said in unison.

"I figured that, and that's fine." Trinity said with a smile. "Besides…this is just so surreal a friendship to pass up."

"Sweet! We're surreal!" Mikey said as he began to dance happily in one spot.

"See! You see that? You don't see that every day. And now I get see it more often than anyone else will." Trinity said with a laugh. Leo looked at her and smiled.

"I'm glad you think that." Leo said.

Trinity looked over at April, who's hair was still a mess. "I-I can still work here right?"

"Well…I guess that since we're all getting along now, and since the feeling has returned to my scalp, that I no longer have anything against you. Be here tomorrow at 11." She said with a smile and nod. She stood and yawned and told everyone good night before heading back to her bedroom.

"I should probably be going to." Trinity said standing up and stretching. She began to walk to the spiral staircase in the middle of April's living room. She looked up the guys and gave them a friendly wave before descending and heading home.

As she walked down the street she kept telling herself that nothing she experienced had really happened and that she dreaming everything up. But no matter how many times she pinched herself, or closed her eyes, she always found herself in the same place she was before. Leaving April's apartment after meeting four mutant turtles, one of which she's known for almost a year, but ironically didn't even know it. Yes, life was full of many surprises. Hers however, were simply off the chart.

She walked into the lobby and rode the elevator to the third floor. She walked in, tossed her jacket onto the kitchen table, unbraided her hair and walked to her room in a zombie like state before collapsing on her bed and falling asleep instantly.

Outside her window, perched on her fire escape was a certain blue-banded, Katana wielding, mutant turtle, who despite the constant teasing by his brothers, followed the girl home to make sure she got there safely. He smiled as he watched her sleep. Half of her body handing off the bed while the other half was sprawled on the spread. She kicked of her shoes in her sleep and grabbed the edge of the blanket, and rolled over causing the blanket to wrap tightly around her body.

With a small laugh, Leo leapt off the fire escape, and went down the closet manhole, and made his way home, all the while with a smile on his face.

It is amazing the twist and turns life can make sometimes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: TMNT does not belong. I do not profit from the franchise. *sigh* BUT All OC on the other hand are mine. ;-)**

"Alright, class we'll pick up where we left off next class, oh and make sure you practice! The showcase is only a few days away!" Said Ms. Nelson as Trinity and about 20 other students left the dance studio. She had spent the past three hours there practicing her routine for the upcoming winter showcase. She had been looking forward to it ever since it's announcement and had been practicing like crazy. She used to practice almost 24/7 but that was back in Florida when she didn't have a job, and didn't live in her own. She felt very guilty because of it, but she had always depended on her roommate, and sister to keep the house clean, and to make money. At the thought of her sister, she feels as if her heart drops, and she stops in the middle of the dance studio just a few steps away from the exit.

Her hand reaches up to caress the bracelet as the expression on her face went completely blank.

* * *

"_Come on, Trinity! If you don't hurry your ass up, by the time we make it to the club the line will be a mile long!" She was standing at the bottom of a staircase in a large house in Tallahassee, Florida. She was tapping the toe of her red stiletto patiently as she waited for her sister to leave come out the room so that they could finally leave._

_The woman's name was Melody and she was becoming very tired of waiting. She was wearing a black halter-top and red mini skirt. Her hair, a complete mixture of dark and light brown with the exception of a single red highlight, is styled in a high ponytail. Had she of been living with her mother, she would have never made it out of her room in her attire. The halter-top she was wearing exposed the heart tattoo on her arm, which was preventing her dark brown skin from being flawless and bare. _

"_Trinity!" She called again, but much louder this time._

"_Alright! Alright! I'm coming!" Trinity called from the upstairs bathroom. A few seconds later, the door opened and a woman, who was a spitting image of the one standing at the bottom of the stairs, appeared in the doorway. She was wearing a strapless, royal blue shirt with, black jeans, and black ankle boots. Her hair was styled in curls that bounced with every step she took. Her lips were a glossy red, and she wore mascara and eye shadow that complimented her dark green irises perfectly. She paused to look in the mirror at her appearance and smiled as began to descend the stairs. _

"_It's about frigging time! What the hell took you so damn long?" Melody asked with her arms crossed across her chest as her sister came down the stairs._

"_Beauty like this doesn't come easily if you rush it, girl. You learned that lesson the hard way." Trinity said in a haughty voice as she ran a hand through her curls._

"_You do realize that by calling your twin ugly, you're insulting yourself right?" Melody asked raising an eyebrow. Trinity opened her mouth to argue but furrowed her eyebrows and closed it, unable to come up with an argument. The two of them were leaving, when Trinity stopped._

"_What is it _now, _Trinity?" Melody asked in a whiny tone._

_Trinity looked her sister up and down, as well as herself and then said, "Do we look like sluts?" She asked. Melody cocked her head sideways and looked down at herself and her sister, both of them dressed in tight clothing that exposed all of their curves. _

"_No, we don't look like sluts. We look sexy. There's a difference." She said reassuringly._

"_You sure? Because that skirt of yours is preeeetty short you know." Trinity said observing her sister_

"_Oh, look who's talking. You're the one wearing a tube top, and jeans so tight we're gonna need to cut you out of them later on." Melody said jokingly._

"_Oh, ha-ha, but seriously; you sure we shouldn't change or something? I think we might as well march up and down and alley with signs on our backs saying, _RAPE ME I ASKED FOR IT BY DRESSING LIKE THIS!" _Trinity exclaimed._

_Melody laughed and said, "This club is in the decent part of downtown so we'll be fine, now come on so we can go." Melody grabbing her sister's arm, as the two of them walked out of the house, and locked the door behind them. They headed to the car and-_

* * *

"Trinity!" Mrs. Nelson said.

Trinity jumped, causing her to drop all of her things as the sound of her dance teacher's voice, pulled her out of her flashback and bought her back to reality. From the look on Mrs. Nelson's face, she had been very concerned and had obviously been calling her for quite some time now. How long had she zoned out? How long had her teacher been looking? Trinity asked herself.

"I-I'm fine Mrs. Nelson." Trinity said in a shaky voice as she began picking up dropped belongings.

"Are you sure dear? You seemed pretty-

"I said," Trinity said through her clenched teeth, "I'm fine."

Mrs. Nelson nodded, the woman, all to familiar with Trinity's short temper knew when to leave the young woman alone and walked away, leaving Trinity alone on the room.

Trinity looked after her and sighed. _She didn't deserve that_. She thought to herself. Suddenly her phone, which was on high volume, rang. The Rihanna song Diamond blaring from the speakers. Trinity, who was very jumpy, once again jumped and dropped all of her stuff again.

"Dammit!" She cried as she snatched her iPhone put her pocket. She slid her thumb across the screen to answer it, not even bothering to check the ID.

"What?!" She snarled into the phone angrily as she pressed the phone between her cheek and shoulder, and grabbed her dropped items.

"Trinity? Is this a bad time?" Said a familiar voice.

"Leo?" Trinity asked, all of her anger fading away.

"Yeah, it's me. I wanted to ask you something, but if you're not in the mood right now then-

"Oh no! Ugh, God. I'm sorry Leo. I was just a little upset about something, and I-…wait a minute. How did you get my cell phone number?" Trinity asked. A questioning look appearing on her face, that Leo couldn't see.

"Oh, right…you remember Mikey right?" Leo said in an exasperated tone.

Trinity smiled. "You mean the really annoying, hyper mutant turtle that I pepper sprayed a few nights ago? Nope, please refresh my memory."

Leo chuckled on the other end of the line and she smiled at the sound of his laughter. "Right. Dumb question. Anyways, apparently he stole your phone and found your cell number in your phone and put in mine."

"Why would he do that?" Trinity asked with a small laugh.

"He has this crazy idea that we're dating each other, and that we're in love and stuff. He should I should call you finally confess." Leo said with a laugh. "But don't worry that not why I called."

"What do you mean that's not why you called? Is there something wrong with being in love with me?" Trinity asked in a mock angry voice.

"Aside from the fact you'd make a horrible housewife with that temper of yours, you're allergic cleaning things, and I'm OCD. It'd never work between us." Leo replied. Trinity could almost hear the smile on his face as he spoke.

"Agreed, besides, I don't date outside of my own species." Trinity said with a laugh.

"Hey! That is a very hurtful comment to make." Leo shot back defensively.

"Oh shut up you big baby. Why'd you call?" Trinity asked.

"Oh right! Umm, movie night." Leo said.

"Huh?"

"Movie Night. It's kind of a tradition of ours. "

"Ours?"

"Yeah; me, my brothers, Casey and April." Every Friday we all get together and watch a movie marathon. Each time there's a different them, tonight's Adam Sandler night."

"And you want me to come?" Trinity asked in slight shock. Trinity had been surprised to hear his offer. She had only met Leo and his brothers a few nights ago, and in that time, she had only spoken to Leo online. She didn't expect to be asked to hang around them in person, at least not _this _soon after their awkward encounter.

"Yeah, why did you not want to?" Leo asked, slight disappointment evident in his voice

"Well I do but…won't it be awkward?" Trinity asked as if Leo should have already known.

"Why would it be awkward?" Leo asked in a confused tone.

"Well I mean…after how we met and…me _pepper spraying _your brother, and the other guy breaking my nose…"

"Oh don't worry about that. Mikey forgives just about everyone, for just about everything, and even though he's too much of a _tough guy _to admit, Raph feels pretty bad about what he did." Leo said reassuringly.

"Aww, that's actually kind of sweet. Well, if everything is resolved than sure, I'd love to come to movie night. But I'm just now leaving the Studio, just gimme some time to stop by house and change. I didn't expect to go out again after class so I just came in my practice attire and didn't bring any extra clothes. I think it would look bad if I showed up in an exercise bra and leggings."

"I wouldn't mind!" Said a new voice, on the other line. Trinity recognized it but wasn't able to identify it, but luckily Leo was.

"Mikey?! What the hell are doing?!" Leo exclaimed.

"Don got the shell cells to work on three -way calling, so I thought I'd test it out. Hiiiii, Triiiiinity." Mike said in a singsong voice.

"If you wanted to test it out, why didn't just call Don or Raph? And why am I talking to you over the phone! I'm ten feet away from you!"

"Well, Don and Raph don't stay on the phone whispering sweet nothings to each other." Mikey teased.

"Um, hello? I'm still here." Trinity chimed in.

"Ooops, sorry. So how are you Leo supposed to have kids?"

"MIKEY!"

There was the sound of wrestling for a few moments and a few girly screams before Leo voice returned without the company of his younger brother.

"Sorry about that." Leo said sounding out of breath. "So how far is your studio from your house?" Leo asked.

"Leo, for the millionth time, just a few blocks; I'll be _fine_." Trinity said. She was all too familiar with Leo's overprotectiveness. Even when they would simply chat online, he would always tell her to lockup the house before going to bed. She would have told him to back off and stop being so overprotective, but it was just too cute to her.

"Okay, fine. But if you get jumped, don't be surprised when I say I told you so, before I rescue you." Leo said teasingly and smugly.

"Oh, God. You know how much I hate the R word." Trinity said with a groan.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Call me when you get home okay? Just so I'll know you got back safely." Leo said kindly.

"Will do. Bye-bye."

"Later."

The line clicked dead and Trinity slid her phone back into her pocket, with a smile. She was very grateful for the call as well as the invitation. A good night of relaxation is just what she needed, and would she hope that it would distract her from anymore memories of her sister.

* * *

Trinity sat on her couch waiting for Leo. She had just gotten off the phone with him, to let him know she was ready for him to come get her. She was dressed in a long sleeved yellow V-neck, blue jeans, and a pair of white tennis shoes, and as usual, her sisters charm bracelet. Her hair was hanging loosely. She was shaking with excitement as she waited.

Even though she had not said so, she was extremely excited to be hanging out with mutant turtles, as well as getting to see Casey and April again. Despite them getting off to a rock start, Trinity was actually looking forward to seeing the turtles again, even the one who broke her nose, which was now covered in a bandage, that was known as Raphael.

If it had been a week ago, than she would have been sitting on her couch watching So You Think You Can Dance, munching on her Oreos and peanut butter, which reminded her, she jogged into the kitchen and grabbed the two items from the pantry. While most people found it impossible to watch a movie without Popcorn, Trinity felt the same way, but with Peanut Butter and Oreos, taking the place of the famous, snack.

When she arrived back in the living room, she heard a tapping on her window and turned to find Leo sitting outside, waving politely. She smiled as set the items down and went to open the window for him, allowing him to climb inside.

"Hey you." She said. And before either of them knew what they doing they hugged each other. Leo because he was so used to doing it to April whenever he visited her, and Trinity simply because she wanted to very badly.

"You never told me how you found your way here." Trinity asked as the broke apart.

"Oh…right. Well the other night, at April's…I followed home sure, you got back safely. Please don't think I'm creepy, I only did it because I'm protective."

Trinity giggled and shook her head. "You know that sad part isn't that your followed me home. The sad part is that I'm not surprised."

Leo just laughed and shrugged. He looked around the small apartment and smiled. "Nice place." He said.

Trinity simply snorted. "Awww, you're so nice. This place is a dump." Trinity said looking around the room. The living room consisted of nothing but an old worn couch, an equally aged love seat, and small flat screen television and a fake tree in the corner of the room. Across from it was the even small kitchen, and next to that was the hallway that lead to her bedroom, a half bathroom, and another bedroom that was currently being used as a laundry room.

"I can top that." Leo said simply. "I live in a sewer." He said cracking a smile.

Trinity blinked before erupting in a fit of laughter. "You're so funny you know that?" She said grabbing her Oreos and Peanut Butter. She placed them in a plastic bag, grabbed a gray sweater of the hook next to the front door, and slid it on. She began walking towards the front door, but when she heard no footsteps behind her, she turned and saw Leo who was halfway out the window.

"What are you doing we're going _this _way." They both said at the same time.

"I can't exactly just stroll through your lobby you know." Leo pointed out.

"Oh, yeah that's right." Trinity said. "But can't I just meet you in the alley?" She asked again, pleading he would agree and would not make her climb out of the window.

"I didn't get here using the alley. I used the rooftops." He said point upwards.

"The roof-

Trinity didn't' even allow herself to finish her sentence as she marched over to the window and poked her head out. She looked up towards the roof, which was another three stories above her, before looking at the busy street she was already three stories above. She pulled her head back in and looked at Leo with her lips pursed. "Yeah…" She said. "That is _not_ gonna happen."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. It's like flying; it'll be over before you know it." Leo said climbing out the window and onto the fire escape. He stuck his hand in and Trinity looked at it, and shook her head.

"Do you trust me?" Leo asked suddenly.

Trinity looked at him hardly. She had known him for about a year, and despite never seeing him, or hearing his voice during that time, she always trusted him with her secrets. So far, he was still the same, noble, protective, sometimes funny guy she had met online. Why should he be any less trustworthy?

She slowly outstretched her hand, and hesitated a moment before placing it in his. She was surprised to see how large it was. Once he closed his hand, hers was no longer even visible. She moved her fingers around in his hand, gently rubbing his palm. She had expected it to feel rough and scaly, but it was like touching a brand new leather jacket in a store.

She looked at him and nodded her head, signaling she was ready and with one swift movement, he effortlessly, lifted her out of her apartment and onto his shell, keeping her arm wrapped around his neck. She quickly did the same with the other one and despite, constantly hearing the over-used cheesy movie line advising people not to, she looked down at the street below her and gasped before letting out a small whimper.

She looked back up and buried her face in Leo's neck as best as she could with his shell in the way. It was a quite uncomfortable position, but seeing as how this uncomfortable position was the only thing keeping her from becoming a stain on the pavement below, she did not complain.

She heard her window shut before Leo's voice saying, "I'm gonna start climbing, hold on okay."

"Do I _really _have any other options!?" She whispered sharply. She felt Leo's body shake as he chuckled, and then, without any warning began climbing so swiftly and gracefully that she could have sworn that he was flying up the building. Within a few seconds, the two of them were on the roof of the building five stories above the ground. She let herself fall from Leo's back and onto the ground. She moved over to the edge of the building and looked over at the street below, and the now microscopic people below.

"See that wasn't so bad." Leo said walking over to her. "The next part however is what's gonna be tricky." He said.

"What do you mean?" Trinity asked raising an eyebrow at Leo.

Leo simply smirked and before Trinity could register what was happening, he scooped her up so that he was carrying her bridal style and began to step backwards.

"What are doing...?" Trinity's voice trailed off as Leo's actions suddenly became clear.

"Oh no…" She said as he continued to step back. "Tell me you aren't going to do what I think are."

Instead of responding Leo simply took off across the rooftop, holding Trinity tightly in his arms. When he reached the edge, he leaped off it, and onto the next rooftop. Trinity screamed as they flew through air, but just moments later she could hear the sound of Leo's feet hitting the rooftop as he swiftly ran across and on to the next roof, each gap, seemingly getting wider and wider, as well as the building getting higher.

Finally, Trinity felt them hit solid ground again and he stopped running. Trinity let herself fall from Leo's arms and into a heap at his feet. Breathing heavily she looked around and noticed they were in an alley. "Wasn't that fun?" Leo asked.

"Fun? Fun?!" Trinity shrieked. She stood to her feet and proceeded to slap him in the arm repeatedly. "That wasn't _fun_! That's the most horrifying then I've ever done in my entire life you _jerk_!"

"What? It was the fastest way to get to our section." Leo said walking over to a sewer lid.

"Your section? Your section of what?" Trinity asked.

In response, Leo moved the sewer lid and a stomach churning scent found its way into Trinity's nose and she gagged before pinching it. She looked at Leo and smiled.

"Seriously dude," She said with a small laugh, her eyes going from the sewer to Leo. "Where do you live?"

* * *

After about ten minutes of walking, Trinity and Leo finally arrived at a dead end. Trinity looked around with a non-amused expression on her face, but decided not question Leo, knowing that there was more to the dead end. Nothing was really as it seemed anymore. The smell had gotten weaker as they walked and was now just a light, unpleasant scent, rather than a strong, nauseating odor. Leo pulled an ordinary pipe as if it was a lever and a small keypad appeared. Before punching any numbers in he looked over at Trinity and said, "Do you mind looking away for a second while I punch in the code? Dad's kinda strict about who knows it."

"Why can't I know the code? You trust me right?"

"Of course I do, but I just gotta make sure Master Splinter's okay with you knowing. Don't take it to personally, it was same thing with April and Casey. Once he feels he can trust you, you'll be able to know it. And they earned his trust pretty quickly, I don't see why you won't." Leo said reassuringly with a smile.

Trinity groaned and rolled her eyes before turning away. Leo punched in a few keys and the door opened.

"Okay, you can look now." He said.

"Good. After everything I've been through, this place better be awesome because if not I swear I will-

Two firm hands on her shoulder interrupted Trinity, turning her around to see an enormous room. "Holy shit…" Trinity said stepping in slowly. She looked around the large room with a wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

She looked over at what she assumed was the living area and gasped. A very wide oval shaper pit that consisted of several beanbag chairs, a couch, and an easy chair. In the front of the pit was a TV set, or rather several TV sets with blank screens; each a different size than the other. It looked like something she would find in a modern art museum. Not too far away from the living area was a medium sized kitchen consisting of a refrigerator, a six burner stove, and a dishwasher, as well as several counters. To the left of the kitchen was a circular dining table, with all kinds of chairs placed around it. Some were elegant and tall; others were simply foldable, steel chairs. There was another room sealed off from her view by a Japanese sliding door. There were four different large doors, that were off into what Trinity assumed were bedrooms. One painted red with cut out pictures of UFC fighters and motorcycles, another painted purple with several blueprints and science articles on it, a third one painted orange with drawings of Super Heroes, and comic books resting on it, and finally, a blue one consisting of only a Japanese scroll on either side of the door.

"Pretty nice huh?" Leo said from behind her. She looked back at him with a look of bewilderment and amusement on her face, causing Leo to smile.

"Pretty nice doesn't even _begin _to describe this place." Trinity said as she looked around. "How did you get all of this stuff down here? And better yet, how'd you get it to work?"

"That would the work of me." Said a new voice. Trinity turned to see an olive green, bi-pedal turtle walking towards her, with a purple bandana, and a large stick attached to his shell.

"Don't tell me!" Trinity said as began rubbing her temples. "Donatello right?"

"You are correct. Congratulations." Donnie said sticking out his hand. "How'd you know?"

"Process of elimination." Trinity answered with a shrug. "You obviously aren't Leo, I'm pretty sure the guy who broke my nose wore red, and you don't sound anything like that Mikey guy who was on the phone earlier." As the two chatted, Leo left to go and disappeared behind the screen door, to notify Master Splinter of Trinity's arrival.

"Right, sorry about that. Had I have known Leo was talking to _you _I would've told him later on that we got three-way." Don said.

"It's fine, it was actually pretty amusing." Trinity said running a hand through her hair. "So where's everyone else?" Trinity asked. As if on cue, Raphael and Casey entered the room arguing.

"Dude, I'm telling ya. I took out more of those purple pansies than you!" Casey yelled at Raph.

"Please. You only think that because your brain got all messed up when that guy hit in the head with that trashcan lid." Raph shot back.

"You could've warned me about him or something you little shit!" Casey retorted.

"I would've but I was too busy taking down more thugs than you." Raph said a grin.

"Fuck you Raph. Fuck you very much." Casey said removing his mask and tossing his golf bag off his shoulder.

"Love you too, Case." Raph stretching. He walked past Donnie who eyes widened upon noticing a rather large amount of blood plastron.

"Oh my God, what _happened_?!" Don asked rushing over to him and examining him for wounds.

"Nothing Don it's not-

"Don't me nothing happened! You're covered in blood!" Don shot back.

"Well yeah…but none of its mine." Raph said with a large grin.

"That's pretty bad ass." Trinity said suddenly causing Raph to turn to her. She saw him stiffen, as he took a sudden interest in his feet. "Look, sorry about um….breaking your nose and stuff…" He mumbled. He was never good at apologizing.

"It's fine." Trinity said with a sigh. "Chances are I would've done the same thing in your place, getting mad would be pointless." She said with a shrug.

"You exceptin' that? Phew, good I was afraid I was gonna have to drag it out." He said as he went to go and clean his plastron.

_Leonardo. Donatello. Raphael…That only leaves-_

"HELLOOOOO EVERYBODY!" Trinity's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the youngest turtle entering the room.

"Oh sweet, Leo bought his lady friend!" Mikey said. Before Trinity could speak, Mikey had somehow made his way over to her and engulfed her in a bear hug, even lifting her a few inches off the ground, and spun her around before setting her back down. "What's in the bag?!" Mikey asked snatching her grocery bag from her. He peered inside and pulled out the Oreos and Peanut Butter, letting the bag fall to the ground. "Oreos and Peanut Butter?" He asked. "Do you like, dip the Oreo in there?"

"What? Oh, yeah." Trinity said as she tried to regain her balance.

"Sweet! I _gotta _try that later on when the movie starts." Mikey said, he was making his way towards the living room to get the DVD player set up but turned around and said, in a low voice, "Oh and in case you forgot my dear," He paused to take her hand and said, "I am Michelangelo Hamato, the most _charming _of our clan." He said. "If, excuse me, _when _you get tired of sir "Stick in the Mud" over there, I'm always available." Mikey tenderly kissed Trinity's hand, before winking at her.

The main entrance opened once again and this time, April walked through carrying four pizza boxes. "Hey guys! Pizza's here." She said walking over to the kitchen.

"Awesome! Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!" He said as he bolted into the kitchen and the boxes from April before trapping in the same bear hug he that gave Trinity.

"Is he always so-

"Yes." Everyone chorused in an exasperated tone.

"Hey, Trinity!" April said from the kitchen with a friendly wave. "I'm so glad you decided to come. It's nice having another girl here. Now I'm not _completely _surrounded by _Neanderthals_." April said making a head over to the guys who were glaring at her. She just stuck her tongue out at them before going over to Casey, who draped an arm around her and the couple made their way to the living area; giggling, and pecking each other on the lips as they went.

"Are _they _always so-

"Adorably yet disgustingly cute together?" Raph said casting a glance after them suddenly, his plastron now clean. "You don't know the half of it." He said as he grabbed a slice of extra cheese pizza. The scent wafted through the air filled Trinity's nose, causing her mouth to water.

"Ok, guys the DVD player is ready! First up, is: _I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry_." April called from the living the room. She and Casey went into the kitchen and grabbed a slice of slice of pepperoni pizza before getting a can of soda of heading back to the living area. Trinity was about to help herself so a slice, when she felt something tap her on the shoulder. She turned to see Leo standing behind her.

"Hey, Sensei wants to see you. Don't worry he just wants get to know you a little better." Leo said.

"Oh, okay then that's fair." Trinity said shrugging. She was starting towards the room when Leo grabbed her arm.

"Wait! I just thought you know; he's a giant rat." Leo said cautiously.

Trinity pursed her lips and nodded. "Ooooof, course he is." She said.

"Just thought I'd give you a heads up. Good luck in there." He said shoving her towards the door. She looked back and grimaced at him before continuing. She opened the door with carefully before stepping into a dojo. She could tell form the weapons on the wall and large training mat on the left side of the room. In the very middle, was a giant, but clean and shaven rat with gray fur, and a dark red and black robe. He was sitting behind a small table with a cup of tea on it. The entire room was lit with candles and she felt tranquil and much less tense simply by standing there.

"Ms. Love?" The rat said suddenly, looking up.

"Y-yes that's me." Trinity said.

Master Splinter nodded and waved a hand in front of him motioning for Trinity to sit down on a lone pillow. She obeyed and kneeled down she that she met his kind, yet stern eyes.

"Hello, Ms. Love. I assume my son has already notified you of who I am." Master Splinter said, in a Japanese accent.

"Yes. He has. Master Splinter right?" She asked.

Master Splinter nodded. "I understand that you have actually known Leonardo for quite some time now." He said taking a sip of his tea. He offered Trinity some she accepted. She took a sip of the warm liquid and sighed pleasantly as she swallowed.

"Yes, I met him online about 11 and a half months ago. I always enjoyed talking to him. He was so noble and easy to talk to." Trinity said with a reminiscent smile.

Master Splinter chuckled. "Indeed he is, and I thank for you compliments on my son." He took another sip of tea and said, "I trust that you are a wise enough to know that my sons and I must be kept a secret if they are to have a friendship with you. If our secret were to be revealed to those on the surface, there are some who would do horrible things to us. Treat us as science experiments rather than human beings. April and Casey have been keeping our quite some time now, a few years to be exact. I sense that I can trust you Ms. Love, but I must hear you say that you that swear to keep us a secret."

"Cross my heart." Trinity said marking an X over her heart. "Besides, I don't want to have to answer to that Raph guy if I put you guys in any danger. Something tells me he'd break a lot more than my nose, if that were to happen." Trinity said rubbing her bandage.

Master Splinter laughed and said, "Yes, Raphael is known for his more _violent _side, but I guarantee you, it is much better to have him as a friend, than an enemy." He joked.

"Agreed…so…does this mean, you trust me?" Trinity asked.

"Yes child. This means that I trust you." Master Splinter said a nod.

Trinity's face lit up and the two stood. Master Splinter bowed to her, and she awkwardly mirrored him before drinking the rest of her tea and leaving the room, with a wave. The second she stepped out, someone grabbed her, bought her to the living area where she found herself being thrown in a beanbag chair, and a pizza and a can of Dr. Pepper appeared in her lap.

"What the hell just happened? I blinked and next thing I know, I'm over here." Trinity exclaimed. Everyone laughed at her pointed Mikey who grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, it would've taken to long if had walked."

April laughed at the confused look on her face and nudged Raph. "Was I really _this _adorable and naïve when I was getting to know Mikey?" She whispered.

Raph snorted and said, "Yeah, it's always cute when people meet Mikey for the first time. They never know rather to laugh at him, give him a drug test or beat him to death."

April laughed again, and rested her head on Casey's shoulder as the lights went out and the movie started. Trinity practically inhaled her pizza. The exotic ride over to the lair had worked up quite an appetite. Once she was done she eagerly opened her Oreos and Peanut Butter jar and began to eat them as she watched the movie, earning disapproving looks from everyone.

"What?" She asked with a mouth full of Oreo and Peanut Butter.

"Yeah, what?" Mikey asked with the same food in his mouth. "This stuff is great. It's like eating a Reeses Cup with vanilla icing on it."

"Mikey you'd eat chicken shit if there was vanilla icing on it." Raph mumbled. Don looked down at the chocolate bar he had been munching on and tossed it behind him carelessly with a groan.

"So not true! I'm telling you this stuff is awesome. Your girlfriend has good taste, Leo." Mikey said with a grin.

"She's _not _my girlfriend." Leo said defensively.

"Yet." Mikey added under his breath.

"Come one, Mikey give it up. Trinity and I have _nothing _in common." Leo said.

"Agreed." Trinity added taking a swig of her soda.

"So? Being different from each other doesn't matter. Just look at Casey and April. They're about as different from each other as you get, and just look at them. " Don said deciding to join the conversation.

Everyone looked at Casey and April. April was sitting in Casey's lap with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Oh for the love of, WILL YOU TWO GET A ROOM, GOD DAMMIT!" Raph yelled at them. They both raised an eye brow and just to annoy him, they broke out into a full blown make out session.

"Oh God…" Raph mumbled.

"Don't worry dude, I got this." Mikey said to Raph.

"Come on Casey, you're like our brother and April is like our sister and our mom. Do you have any idea how awkward is to watch your brother make out with your mom-sister?" Mikey asked.

That did the trick. The couple stopped kissing and moved away from each other as if they had suddenly caught on fire.

"Thanks Mikey." Trinity said rolling her eyes. She looked over Leo who was laughing at the awkward, glances April and Casey kept giving each other smiled. Her eyes lingered on him as she looked at him; actually _looked at him_. It was during this time that she noticed his skin was a beautiful shade of forest green. She noticed his large muscles, and pattern on his shell she suddenly had the urge to trace her fingers over. Leo finally caught her staring and his brow furrowed in confusion causing his mask to narrow into white slits. She smiled and turned her attention back the film.

Her cheeks felt hot and her palms grew sweaty. _Oh no. _She thought knowing the feeling she was having all too well from past experiences in Jr. High. She wasn't looking at him but she could feel Leo's gaze on her.

_Don't look back Trinity. Just keep your eyes, on the screen._

But she found herself not being able to take her own orders, and turned her head to look at Leo. Their eyes met (or at least Trinity was assuming they did, she couldn't tell with that mask on) and they smiled at each other. _Oh God, that smile._ Trinity thought to herself. Her heart began to race and she looked away from him once again and did her best to pay attention to screen, and ignore the tingly feeling inside of her.

And she soon found herself thinking, _Why can't to opposites be together? _Once the thought crossed her head she groaned.

_Curse that smile._ She thought to herself as fought the losing battle against her hormones. _Curse that stupid, charming, handsome smile._

**(A/N) Phew, longest chapter far, 14 pages. Anyways, I hoped you guys liked this. We got a deeper look into Trinity's past, and it looks Trinity's staring to crush on a certain turtle. ;-) Reviews make me happy and feed my imagination. So please leave one. ;-) Concrit, complaints, compliments, and suggestions are always welcome. But as usual no flames. Until next time! **


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N): I realized today that I am a horrible person because I've yet to thank my awesome reviewers! Shame on me! So here goes! Huge shout out to: I Love Kittens Too, oxCuteKataraox, BubblyShell22, TMNT95, and Livangel16. You guys, are truly awesome! **

**Disclaimer: *shaking magic 8 ball* Oh magic 8 ball, will TMNT ever be mine! *reads response* Not likely. Sweet so there's a chance! But of course for now I own nothing the O/C's. ;-) **

Leo's POV

Picture this:

An 18-year-old girl sitting in the crater of a giant black beanbag chair. In one of her hands is an open jar of Jiffy peanut butter with an Oreo sticking out of it. In her other hand, is an Oreo, absent of any peanut butter that never made it into her mouth. Since the bag chair is large, she has her legs tucked beside her. Her hair is completely blocking any view of her face, covering it like it a curtain. In front of her are several TV sets, each of them blank because they had been turned off ages ago. Toss in a living room, or "living _pit_" as Trinity had deemed it, that looks as if a convenience store threw up in it, and a groggy mutant turtle just now waking up, and what do you get?

My home after movie night, except this time, with an extra person to add to the mess that was always left behind, that really didn't need to get any worse.

I had just woken up and stretched with a yawn. I had fallen asleep sometime after Jack & Jill. The living pit (it does make since to call it that) was absent of anyone except for Trinity, Mikey and I. Don and Raph had gone to bed a few hours ago, and Casey and April left shortly after they did. Mikey was currently taking as much room as he possibly on couch, snoring loudly.

"Mikey, wake up." I saw shaking him.

"No….I'll save you Silver Century….turtle titan to the rescue-

"Mikey!" I saw slapping him on his arm. He yells and falls if the couch with thud and hits Trinity's beanbag causing it to stir a little. She stirs a little and makes a shooing motion with her hand, before curling into a ball and becoming silent again.

Mikey yawned and stood up before looking down at Trinity and snickering. "Awwwww, that's _adorable_." He says. He takes the Oreo cookie stuck in the Peanut Butter and eats it, oblivious to the look of disgust on my face.

"What time is it?" He asks it with his mouth full, but it instead sounds like, "Who ty i o?"

Well use to having to translate Mikey's full mouth talk into actual words I check the clock on the wall and I'm shocked by the time. "3:00am."

"Damn. That's a new record!" He says. "So what do we do with her?" He asks motioning to Trinity's sleeping form.

"I'll wake her up and take her home." I say bending down, but Mikey stops me.

"Dude! You can't wake her up, she'll kill you. You know how women are when someone wakes them up before they're ready to get up on their own. It's chaos! Do you _not _listen to Casey's stories about April?"

"Casey exaggerates _everything_, all that stuff about women being viscous, bloodthirsty, _she-devils_, are just myths and stereotypes." I say haughtily. Mikey raised an eye ridge and shrugged. "Suit yourself dude. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Whatever." I retort. I kneel down to Trinity's side and gently shake her shoulder.

"Trinity. Come on Trinity, wake up. I gotta get you home." I say quietly. But instead obeying me, she growls in her sleep, and without even looking, sends the back of her hand flying across my face. Startled I stumble back and rub the left side of my face, which feels as if someone just burned it with a lighter.

I look over at Mikey whose face is twisted into a shit eating grin, as he tries, but fails, to contain his laughter. "Duuude, your girlfriend just like, bitch slapped you in her sleep. Guess we know who wears the pants in your relationship."

"Shut up and Mikey! And Trinity-

"Yeah, yeah I know. You two are just friends. I only kid you big brother." Mikey says raising his hands surrender. "Just let her stay here for tonight, man."

"Okay, okay fine. Just let me go check with Master Splinter." I said.

"There is no need, for that my son."

Mikey and I turn to see Master Splinter standing behind us looking very tired and upset.

"Master Splinter? What are you doing up?" I asked.

"Well, I was coming in here to see why on _earth _you two were still up at 3 o'clock in the morning." He snapped.

"Sorry, Sensei. We were just trying to find out what to do about Trinity. I tried to wake her up but, I don't think she's willing to do that." I say rubbing the still sore area on my face.

"She may stay here the night. Just _go to bed_." Master Splinter snaps before walking away. "Kids…" I hear him mutter before disappearing into his room.

"Sweet! Slumber party." Mikey says pumping his fist in the air. "Night, bro!" Mikey says before zooming off to his room. I tell him good night and look down at Trinity who was still sleeping in the beanbag chair, curled around her peanut butter jar. I can't help but smile.

I gently lift her out the burrow she's created on the bean bag chair and set her on the couch. I have to pry the jar of peanut butter from her hands before setting a pillow under her head and covering her with a warm wooly blanket. She stirs a little but doesn't bitch slap me again, so I feel pretty accomplished.

As I'm walking away and heading to my room, I find myself turning back to look at her sleeping form. Despite how vicious she is if you try to wake her, she sleeps like a baby. Aside from very faint snoring, she sleeps silently. The only movement she makes is from the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Fascinating how something to short-tempered can look so peaceful and harmless…angelic, even. I release a yawn and I suddenly become very tired. I make my way into my room with a smile, proud of how last night went. It was just one of the few nights in my chaotic life where everything seems perfect.

Trinity's POV

I woke up the next morning to something fuzzy nuzzling my neck. It was ticklish at first and I pushed it away in my sleep with a giggle, only to have it return a few seconds later only more determined this time. "Get away!" I mumble in my sleep, turning my head. Nevertheless, the mysterious, fuzzy stranger only nuzzled my face once more. Finally, I give up, open my eyes, and find them to find very large, emerald green ones staring back at me. The eyes belong to a small, orange kitten that is sitting on my stomach giving me a questioning look.

"Okay, I'm up. What do you want, cat?" I hiss, glaring at the furry creature. The cat only forces itself under my hand and out of reflex; I begin to pet it groggily. I hear a laugh and turn to see Leo standing over me with a smirk on his face.

"What the hell are smirking about asshole?" I mumbled.

"Morning to you too sunshine." Leo says with a laugh.

I sit up and yawn smoothing down strands of my hair that were sticking out. "What time is it?" I asked with a yawn.

"Almost 11 o'clock."

"11! Shit!" I say hoping up. "I can't believe I slept that late! April's gonna-

"Relax, the shop is closed on the weekends." Leo said placing his hands on my shoulders. I let out a sigh of relief and fall back onto the couch.

"I was coming to wake you up but apparently Klunk took care of that." Leo said stroking the cat.

"Klunk?" I asked cocking my head sideways. "What the hell is a Klunk?"

"Oh, that's right you haven't met him." Leo said. He nodded towards the cat and said, "That's Klunk."

"Who the hell name's their cat Klu-

"Mikey named him." Leo cut in. I nodded understandingly and laughed as I got off the couch. "Thanks for letting me crash here." I said stretching. Leo waved it off and handed me a cup of coffee and a bagel, which I accepted and wolfed down gratefully. "Thanks, I needed that, movie night too. It was fun."

"Glad you liked it. So you plan on joining us next Friday?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, as long as you have a different mode of transportation. Is that _really _how you get around? Hopping from rooftop to rooftop like some kind of maniac?"

"Yup. It's pretty fun once you get used to it." Leo said.

I scoffed. "Yeah, _fun_." I looked around the large room and noticed that Leo and I were the only one's there. The entire place was actually quiet, which is strange given Mikey's hyper personality.

"Where is everyone?" I asked looking at Leo with a cocked eyebrow.

"Oh, it's that time of the day when everyone goes and vanishes inside their own little world." He said.

"Really? What do they do?"

"Well Don hides out in his lab until he blows something up and _somehow _makes it our fault. Raph would either work on his bike, or stare at his Megan Fox shrine, Mikey would work on the Comic Book he's trying to make about his alternative personal "Turtle Titan" and Master Splinter would hide out in his room and enjoy the silence until we eventually erupt into chaos again." Leo said. From the tone of his voice, it was obvious that what his brother's did in their spare time was no surprise to him. And given what they did, it was both hilarious and sad that it was no longer a shock to him.

"And might I ask what _you _do in your spare time? You know, other than chat with random girls online who don't know you're a mutant?" I say with a laugh.

"If you _must_ know I do extra training. I _do _have a life outside of lying to people on the internet." He says with a mock glare.

"Training?"

"Ninjitsu. Yes, it's real and doesn't only exist in movies." He says noticing the surprised look on my face.

"Wow, you never mentioned _that _on your profile either. Talk about your _baggage_." I say.

"Hey, like I said, Master Splinter's over protective. I was barely able to convince him that it wouldn't hurt to let me use my real name on my profile page." He says rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, I hear you. My mom was like that before I moved out with…with…" I trail off and my hands absently find their way back my bracelet and stroke it. I feel my mind become a blank slate. I hear Leo calling my name in concern but it seems as if he's calling me from the end of a very long tunnel. His voice fades until I can hear nothing.

~*~  
_Melody and I pulled our royal blue Mazda 3 Hatchback, a gift to us on our 16__th__ from our father that we were told we had to share, into an empty parking space across from the popular night club, Equinox. No one ever knew how such a poplar nightclub came to be named after something that happens in nature. According to Melody, it just sounds cool. Even with us on the other side of the parking lot and inside of our car with the doors closed; we could still hear the music that was playing loudly from inside the building were the silhouettes people dancing wildly can be seen from outside. _

_Melody and I exchange grins before climbing out of our car and locking the doors. We link our arms and strut over to the line, which is surprisingly very short. As we walked by, we get wolfish grins from boys, and glares from their girlfriends, who hit them once they notice that they're staring at us. We giggle like elementary schools before quickly getting in line. We're about to reach the end when a boy reaches out and stops us. He has spiky sandy blonde hair, and tanned skin. He's wearing a blue and white stripped, button down Polo shirt with blue jeans, and expensive looking white sneakers. He's wearing a decent amount of cologne and when he smiles he reveals perfect smile that be described as anything but innocent._

"_Hello, ladies. Go ahead, you can get in front of me." He says in a smooth, low-pitched voice. Letting his eyes wander over our bodies. _

"_Hi." Melody says in a trance like state, staring at the boy as if he has her under some kind of spell as we walk in front of him. _

"_Hi. I'm Heath." He says taking her hand and shaking it. "And you two hotties are…_

"_Melody!" Melody says speaking up. "I'm Melody and this is my sister Trinity. We're twins." She says, adding the last stupidly._

"_I can see that." Heath said with a laugh. He looks over at me winks. I just laugh nervously and smile back._

_The line moved up and we found ourselves standing in front of the muscular bouncer. We give him our ID's and after looking them over, he nods and holds out his hand for admission money. We are about to give him the payment when Heath stops us and hands the bouncer $60. _

"_Relax, it's on me. No charge." He says smiling. The bouncer just shrugs and removes the velvet rope before opening the door to let us in. The music is now blaring loudly in our ears and the bass playing in music causes my body to tingle. _

"_So can I buy either of you beautiful girls a drink?" He asks us. I shake my head and I begin pulling Melody to the dance floor but she stops and looks at me pleadingly. I roll my eyes and groan, "Fine, go ahead." I say. She squeals and hugs me tightly before letting herself be taken to the bar, far on the other side of the club, with Heath's arm slung over her shoulder._

_I shake my head and smile as I watch her leave. The song that was playing when we entered the club ends and Ghost n' Stuff by deadmau5 comes on and I smile widely. I rush over the dance floor and join the mob of people who are dancing, carelessly bumping into each other. From where I'm dancing I look over at my sister who is chatting with Heath, who's hand is resting on her bare leg. I groan and turn away, ignoring them as I continue dancing. I don't know long I had been dancing but I'm guessing it was a while because my feet start hurting. _

_I decide to take a break. I'm making my way over to a booth when I hear a very faint boom. The sound was barely audible over the loud music that was playing. A foul scent fills my nose and I cough. And then I hear…a scream? Followed by someone yelling, in a terrified voice, "FIRE! Fire! Everyone get out there's a-_

"Trinity? Trinity!" A voice yells. I feel myself being shook and I look up to see Leonardo standing in front of me, his hands on my shoulders, with a confused look on his face. It dawns on me that I haven't answered and still appear to be zoned out when he calls name again.

"What? Huh?" I say as if I'd just woken up.

He exhales and says, "Finally, you okay? You just totally zoned out there." He says sitting next to me, keeping on my shoulder.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that, I just um, zoned out." I say rubbing my head.

"Trinity, you wouldn't answer me for like, five minutes. I was sitting calling you and-

"Leo! I said, I'm fine okay! Can we please just drop it?" I ask more sternly then I intended. I didn't mean to sound harsh, but didn't regret it. I didn't wanna talk about the subject any longer than we already had.

Leo looks at me for a moment, and then shrugs and says, "Ok. Fine. I'll let it go."

I give him a small smile and say, "Thanks. So um, you mind if I use you bathroom? I wanna wash up, if you wouldn't mind." I say desperate to change the subject.

"Sure, I think April has some clothes left over from when she was staying with us." Leo says walking away.

"Staying with you?" I ask in shock. I hadn't been informed that April was staying with Leo and the guys. I assumed she'd stayed the night but never thought that she had actually _lived_ with them for a while. I can't _imagine _how challenging that must've been.

He looked at me and his face fell slightly before becoming normal again. "Oh yeah after her shop was burned down, she stayed here until she get it re-built."

"She stayed here? No offense but why not with Casey? Aren't they like, glued together or something?" I asked glad that were talking about something else.

Leo snorted, "Would you believe me if I told you there was a time when those to _despised _each other?" He asked with a grin.

I laughed. The thought of the couple previously hating each other was simply thing I wasn't able to picture. "Nope. Not a chance." I said shaking my head.

"Well believe or not, they used to hate each other. They couldn't stay in the same room for more than five minutes without nearly starting world war 3." Leo said with a small laugh.

"Wow. That's _very _interesting." I said resting my chin on my fist. "But I'm curious…how did her shop burn down?" I ask,

Once again, his face fell and I felt a pang in my stomach as guilt washed over me forever asking. "Oh right. That. It was burned down by the Foot Clan." He said with sudden anger in her voice. It scared me a little, seeing as how he _never _got angry; not even when we talked online. But despite his sudden upset mood I can't hold back a smile.

"The _Foot Clan_? Who are their arch enemies, the Finger Society?" I asked with a laugh hoping to cheer him up. It worked…sort off. He laughed but it wasn't joyful or humorous but was instead, very dark.

"Yeah, I agree that the name's pretty dumb; but believe me when I tell you, these guys are bad news. Despite how much she tried to hide it, April was beyond distraught when that place burned down." He said in a somber voice.

"Oh. Damn, I'm _very _sorry to hear that. Honest." I say. I had only known April for a few days, and that short time span I can honestly said that I'd grown to think of her as a good friend. She seemed so mellow and easy to talk to. Not to mention that she was almost always in a good mood. The thought of her being distraught over something as tragic as losing both her home, and her business to this _Foot Clan_, made me feel pretty upset, perhaps angry is a better word.

"But now she always says that if it wasn't for that happening she never would've been forced to hang around Casey at the farmhouse." He said in a more cheerful tone.

"Farmhouse?" I ask, once again confused.

Leo laughs and pats me on my back, "Yup. _You _have a _lot _of catching up to do." He says standing up. "I'll go grab some of her spare clothes. The bathroom upstairs and it'll be the first door on your left." He says making hand motions as he talks. I laugh at him.

"What?" He asks innocently and sounding slightly offended.

"Nothing it's just. The way you move your hands around so much when you talk. It's so cute when you do that Leo."

Leo deadpans and says, "Please refrain from using my name and _cute _in the same sentence." He hisses at me.

"Okay fine." I say. "It's _adorable _when you do that Leo." I say again as I laugh hysterically at the look on his face.

"Keep it up. If a toilet mysteriously flushes while you're in the shower you only have yourself to blame." He says mischievously as he walks off laughing evilly before disappearing into a room with an undecorated door.

I roll my eyes and follow the directions he gave me to get to the bathroom. When I get up stairs, I'm shocked to see how high I am when I look over the stair rail. Praying that I don't have a klutz moment and tumble down the mile high stairs to my death, I continue down the hall until I find the bathroom when I go inside I'm surprised to find that it's pristine. Not because it's in a sewer or anything, but because there are four boys living here who have to share it. I was expecting a wasteland.

But I decide not to complain as I step inside. The room was about 4 ½ feet by 6 and was painted a warm shade of beige. The shower took up the entire back wall and had a shower curtain decorated with Chibi turtles. Shocking.

I hear a knock at the door and open it to find Leo handing me a neat pile of folded clothes consisting of, a pair of gray sweat pants, a pink shirt, socks and a bra and underwear. I eye them warily and Leo says,

"Relax; they're from a pack that she never opened." He says. I nod and take the clothes from him with a quick thank you before shooing him off.

I shower quickly and dry off before dressing in the clothes Leo bought me. Seeing as how there's no need for any of the guys to have a hair dryer I just decide to let it air dry before heading back downstairs. I search for Leo in the living room but don't find him. I'm about to go off and look elsewhere when I hear grunts coming from the dojo.

I make my way over to it, slide the screen door open, and quietly step inside, and what I see makes my jaw drop.

Leo is standing on a training mat armed with two Japanese swords that I've only seen in movies, and is fighting vigorously against a non-existent enemy. Each move he executes is both deadly and beautiful at the same time. He has a look of complete determination and focus on his face as he practices. His blades slice through air perfectly as he flips back and forth on the mat. He does one final stab before flipping his swords in his hands and sheathing them.

Without thinking I begin clapping and looks over at me and if it's possible for a turtle to blush, I'm pretty sure he was as he looked at me and smiled sheepishly.

"That has to be the _coolest _thing I have ever seen. I mean..._wow_. That was amazing!" I say jumping and clapping my hands.

Leo laughs and rolls his eyes. "You are such a spaz." He says wiping his forehead with a towel.

I stick my tongue out him and slap in the arm. "You'd make a damn good dancer you know that?" I say looking him up and down.

He raises a non-existent eyebrow and shakes his head. "Just put _dance _under cute on the list of words to never use in the same sentence as my name." Leo says pointing a finger at me.

"Oh, come on! You totally would! You're flexible, agile, swift, graceful, determined, focused. All traits that some of the best dancers who have ever lived had. If you were to learn a few routines I bet you would be _great_."

"So you're telling me that for the past 19 years of my life I've been "busting a move" rather doing martial arts?" He asked adding air quotes around "busting a move."

"Pretty much. And ugh, _never _say "busting a move" again." I say again patting his shoulder. He raises his hand to protest before nodding and saying, "Yeah, okay. Good point. But I'm telling you I'm no dancer."

"Of course you are." I said stepping onto the mat and motioning for him to step back. I Chassed across the mat and made a large leap making a split in mid-air. Landing on one foot, I twirled before coming to a stop in the form of a Tondu and bowing. "You're telling me you can't do _that_?" I asked eying him.

"Well yeah, of course I could. But only because it's _easy _for me because I'm a _ninja_." He said haughtily.

"Exactly. The same principles apply to both things. You, my dear ninja turtle, are a _dancer_." I said proudly.

"Huh, so you're telling me that if were to spar right now you could beat me?" He asked.

All of my pride drained from my body. I looked up to find Leo smirking at me with his arms crossed.

"Well if we were to _dance _spar-

"No, no, no, no, no. Not _dance _spar. Sparing. As in what you just saw _me _doing." He said stepping closer.

I refused to be defeated so I shrugged and took an awkward fighting stance.

Leo scoffed. "You're _seriously _gonna do it aren't you?"

I thought it over and finally said, "Okay let's make a bet." I said.

"I'm listning." He said with a nod.

"Okay. If _I_ win-

"Very unlikely…"

"IF _I WIN_," I started again sternly. "I'm gonna put together a dance routine for you and _you _have to perform in front of everyone." I said pleased with my punishment for him.

"And _when I_ win-

"IF!"

Leo laughed and said, "You have to let me train you in ninjitsu for a week." He said.

"A _week_? Why a _wee_k_?" _I ask in a baffled tone.

"Well that's how long it would to a dance routine, most of the time. So you'll have to let me train you for a week." He replied.

"Ok, fair enough." I say. I stick my hand out and he shakes it firmly; confirming the deal. I'm pretty sure I'll win. I doubt Leo would actually hit a girl.

"_You _have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Even Jackie Chan wouldn't stand a chance against once I open up a can of my Trinity Whoop-ass!" I say as we circle the mat. "Besides, I'm sure I'll win."

"Oh really? Why is that?" He asks.

"Come one Leo. You're too noble to hit a girl." I tease.

"We'll see about that." He says proudly. There's suddenly a flash of green and before I'm able to find out what happened something grabs my arms, trapping them both behind my back. I look up and I'm surprised to see Leo looking back down at me with a grin.

"I win." He says simply.

"No fair! I wasn't ready! I _demand _a rematch!" I say. I try to wiggle away from him but it's useless. His iron grip on me won't allow me to move. He suddenly lets me go and we circle again.

This time, I have a good five seconds (two seconds more than the first time) to prepare myself before I'm in a head lock. One of Leo's arms is around my neck, and the other is keeping my hands in place. I scream frustration and try to escape, but once again, I fail.

"You know, if I was a thug you'd be dead right now." He says. I can't tell whether he's lecturing me or teasing me but I don't care. "One more time!" I say. He lets me go but before we circle again, I go over to a weapon rack and grab a Bo Staff. I twirl it a little trying to look intimidating but only end up clonking myself in the head. I shake it off nod to Leo.

I charge with a battle cry and he doesn't move. At the very last minute he grabs the staff in the exact same place hands are, making it impossible for me to move them. He lifts the Bo Staff causing me to dangle in the air, before taking me down.

I lie on the mat humiliated with the Bo Staff pressed down on my chest and my hand still trapped under Leo's. He's knees are on either side of me and he's keeping me pinned down with the Bo Staff. The only sound in the dojo is my heavy breathing as I look at him.

"Okay…" I say finally. "_That_ was not as easy as you made it look when I walked in."

He chuckles and says, "Don't worry, once your training is over, it'll be a lot easier."

I groan as I remember that we made a bet, that I feel incredibly stupid for making in the first place. "That's right. We had a bet." I say letting my head drop to the side.

"Yup, we sure did. "Be here tomorrow at 3 if you don't have any plans." He says casually.

"Yeah, yeah. I will be." I mumble.

"Come on, cheer up it'll be fun." He says optimistically. "Let's see a smile."

I look up at him and stick my tongue out.

"That wasn't a smile." He sings teasingly. "Smile or I'll make you." He threatens.

"Oh and just how are you gonna do that?" I ask raising an eyebrow.

He grins evilly before tossing the Bo Staff aside quickly and plunging his large fingers into my sides and wiggling them.

I shriek and try to slap him away but he just continues, causing me to laugh hysterically.

"So are you gonna be here to train tomorrow?" He asks sounding like teacher.

I managed to croak out a weak yes while I laugh.

"And you're gonna have a good attitude and listen to _everything _I say right?" He asks again. I croak another yes and Leo finally moves his hands.

I lie on the ground laughing, crying, coughing, choking and gasping as I recover from the sudden tickle attack.

"That was so _evil_ of you!" I say slapping him in the shoulder as I laugh.

"Hey, you asked for it." He said shrugging.

"Am I interrupting something here?" Says a voice with a surfer accent.

Leo and I turn to see Mikey, Raph and Don standing in the doorway to the dojo grinning at us. We quickly turn back to each other and realize in horror that Leo was still sitting on top of me.

He quickly jumps up and helps me to my feet as I brush myself off and smooth my hair down. "No of course not, Mikey! Nothing's going on here." I say rocking back and forth on my feet.

"Uh-huh." Don said rubbing his chin and nodding. Raph was laughing at my pathetic excuse as Mikey smirked at Leo and me.

"Well then, if nothing's going on then I guess we'll just be going now." Don says pushing Mikey out of the door. It closes and from the three walk away howling in laughter.

"I am _never _going to hear the end of this." Leo said rubbing his forehead. I laugh at him but stop when he looks at me angrily. "What are you laughing at? Once Don tells April about this, and she tells Casey, you're gonna be in for a lot of crap too." He says.

My laughter ceases and I frown. "Don't worry. We'll be brave." I say taking his hand and patting it.

We're silent for a while before I finally speak and say, "I can't believe you did that."

"Did what?" He asks.

"Beat up a girl! That's what." I shot back.

"I did not _beat you up_. I simply restrained you a few times, is all." He says. "Besides, I may be noble but I'm not afraid to hit girls. Just ask Karai." He says.

I furrow my brow in confusion and feel something rise up inside of me at the mention of this, _Karai_.

"Oops, right you don't know her." He says. "Like I said, we have _a lot _of catching up to do together."

"Maybe we should do it over dinner sometime." I joke. We both laugh before our faces become serious and we look at each other.

"That…doesn't sound like a bad idea actually." He says rubbing the back of his neck.

"Y-you really think so? I was only kidding but…if you really want to-

"I do! I mean um…you know if _you're_ up for it-

"I am! I mean, sure why not. I'm not busy tonight. I could go pick some stuff up now." I say.

Leo nods and says. "Sounds good to me. How does seven sound?"

"Seven…seven sounds great." I almost whisper with a nod.

"Okay, then. See you at seven then." He says.

"See you at seven." I confirm. We both nod to each other and walk out of the lair. Once we're outside I'm surprised to find April making her way to the exit. She looks at Leo and me and smirks but says nothing.

"News spread pretty fast huh?" I whisper to Leo.

"At the speed of _light_." He agrees.

"Hey April!" I say making my way over to her. It feels strange talking to her now that I know more about her past, then she thinks I does. Almost like talking to an entirely different person.

"Hey Trinity. Hi Leo." She says waving at us.

"What's up?" I ask.

"I was just dropping off some spare parts Don needed for a project he's working on since they can't go out in daylight and stuff. I was just leaving."

"Great! Can I tag along?" I ask.

She nods and I quickly gather my things that are scattered about the turtles' home and meet April at the exit. We say good-bye to everyone before leaving. April looks at me and says, "_So _what's going on between you Leo?"

"I…dunno." I said furrowing my brow. "But…I'm pretty sure we have a date tonight…"

**(A/N): Ooooh, looks like the romance factor is starting to kick in! Can I get a *woot woot* for love? XD -I feel that Leo was OOC in this, so if you feel the same way, then I apologize. Anyways, please leave a review in the box below! Tell me what you think, complaints, compliments, constructive criticism, yadda yadda. Just type in the box below and click the review button to make a certain writer very happy. ;-) **


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N): Omigod, Omigod, Omigod! I am SO happy with how good this story is doing so far! However, it wouldn't be going anywhere without my fabulous reviewers! So biiiiiiig big, big, big thank you to the following awesome people: IceColdFever, Jessie the Ninja, I Love Kittens Too, AliceStar, oxCuteKataraox, WolfAssassin369 and LivAngel16, who I would also like for helping me out with the romance in this chapter! I would also like to thank anyone who is following or has added this story to his or her favorites list. You all make me so happy! ;-) **

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April sat on Trinity's couch with a reminiscent smile on her face as she waited for Trinity to put on the outfit she planned to wear for her "not a date" with Leo. The moment she was told about it while the two women were walking out of the lair, she became full of excitement and dragged her to the store to pick up something up for her serve for dinner, before taking her home and helping her get ready. She had always wanted to help a younger girl get ready for a date but never got the opportunity, part of why she tried so long to set Angel up with Raph once upon a time. This went on for about a week but she stopped when Raph threatened to strangle her with the scarf she was wearing that day. The guys always called her their big sister, and she was honored by that, but she felt that she couldn't take that title until she helped a younger woman get ready for a date. She heard Trinity's door open and immediately perked up. She looked over at the young woman and squealed. "Trinity you look _gorgeous_!"

Trinity entered the living room dressed in a short-sleeved, teal, cowl neck sweater that stretched down to her waist and hugged her body tightly, showing off her curves. She was wearing black dress pants and teal flats. The hair band that was in her hair was the same color as her sweater and shoes. "You think?" She asked looking down at herself.

"Of course! Leo will too!" April said smoothing Trinity's hair down an adjusting it around her shoulders with a smile.

Trinity thanked her with a smile, but her smile faded when she winced suddenly and rubbed her neck.

"Everything ok?" April asked with concern.

"Yeah everything's fine. Guess I slept wrong when I took nap on the couch earlier." Trinity said as she continued rubbing her neck. "But it's no big deal. I'll be fine." She reassured.

The timer for the oven went and off and Trinity rushed into the kitchen to remove the Stouffers Family Sized Chicken Alfredo Dinner, she re-called Leo mentioning somewhere on his profile that he liked Italian food.

Sliding oven mitts on to her hands, she opened the oven and retrieved the entrée, setting in the stove top to cool off. The smell of the creamy sauce made her mouth water as the delectable aroma filled the small kitchen. She opened the cabinet, took down two wine glasses, and filled them with Apple cider. She had already pored one glass and was pouring the other when she froze. She looked down at her attire and over at the fancy China she only used when she had guest over and gasped.

"Oh God…"She said suddenly.

"What is it?" April asked sounding concerned.

"I'm trying too hard aren't I?" She said back with a look of horror on her face. "I mean, all of this isn't necessary. It's only dinner, and I just wanna find out more about him! He's gonna think that were a date and feel too much pressure!" Trinity said slapping her hands on her face. She ran out of the kitchen and into her room.

"Where are you going?!" April asked looking after her with wide green eyes.

"I have to make myself look disgusting! I can't come on to strong! This isn't a _date _or anything. " Trinity called back from her room.

"What are you talking about Trinity? Of course it's a _date_." April said walking into Trinity's room where she found her trying to take her sweater off. "No it's not!" Her muffled voice called from under it. We're only hanging out as friends." She said. "Now help me get this thing off, I'm stuck."

April sighs and pulls Trinity's sweater back down over her head to reveal a frown on her face and a head of fuzzy hair. "Come on, the outfits it _perfect_. Not to snobbish, not to slobbish." She said smoothing Trinity's hair down. "Don't worry about putting too much pressure much on him, just relax and everything will be fine."

"Okay, _fine_. The outfit can stay, as long you promise to shut up about this being a date." Trinity said pointing a finger at April sternly.

"Fine, it's a deal. I won't say it's a date again. Oh, speaking of which I'm meeting Casey at the movies later." April said looking at her watch.

"Good, tell him I said hi. Now get out; Leo's gonna be here soon." Trinity said shooing April towards the door. But before April could leave there was a tapping on the window and Trinity looked over to see Leo sitting outside. She hurried over and opened it for him, before stepping back and allowing him to climb inside the apartment. They greeted each other and for a moment held each other's gaze in silence as April awkwardly stood off to the side watching them.

"Right," She said making her way to the door leaving her adopted little brother and his "friend" behind. "Not a date all." She muttered with a smirk as she left the room. When she closed the door behind her the two, snapped their heads away from each other and laughed nervously. Trinity felt her cheeks become hot again and prayed that Leo did not notice.

"So," Leo said breaking the silence and stealing the attention she was directing at the floor. "You look nice."

Trinity laughed and said, "Thanks. April made me wear it."

Leo rolled his eyes and chuckled. "That doesn't surprise me." He says. "So what smells good?" He asked sniffing the air as the scent of the pasta snaked its way into the living room.

"Oh that's right! I made food for us! Why don't you go ahead and sit down? I'll bring the food in and then we can get started on my "catching up" Trinity said with a wink. She hurried off the kitchen leaving Leo in the living room alone to watch as she walked away. When she walked past him, he caught a whiff of her perfume and inhaled it. _Vanilla_. He thought to himself as he recognized the scent. He watched Trinity from his spot in the living room as she transferred the food from the pan onto the plate. She looked up and caught him staring giggled as she brushed her hair behind her ear and gave him a kind smile.

A few moments later, she entered the living room balancing two plates on either of her fore arms and had a glass of Apple Cider in her hands. Leo took one of each with a few words of appreciation and the two began eating.

"So," Trinity asked sipping her drink and turning towards Leo. "About me getting caught up." She asked.

"Where do I start? You'd be surprised how chaotic life can get for someone who lives in a sewer and can't be seen in daylight."

Trinity laughed and said, "Well, since your dad didn't like you talking about your family and spreading details about them online, let's start there."

"Well if you wanna get to know Raph, go look in a mirror." Leo says a grin.

"Oh, shut up. I know I can be a little _upset _sometimes but I don't wrestle people whenever I get upset. How did you put up with him when you were kids?" Trinity asked before taking another bite of Alfredo. She was glad that she was finally getting to know more about Leo. She had dreamed of doing this ever since, shortly after meeting him online. Sure, this was not _nearly _what she expected but, nevertheless it felt good to be spending one on one time with him. Despite how different they are, the two seem to connect very well when they communicated, whether it was online or in person.

"Dealt with it? Put up with it is a better way to say it. We use to fight all the time when we were kids. Nonstop. Anytime we were in the same room, we would find something to want to kill each other over. I remember this one time we both wanted the last blueberry pop tart when we were nine. Biggest. Fight. We ever. _Had_."

"Really? Over a pop tart?" Trinity asked trying to contain her laughter.

"A _blueberry_ pop tart." Leo corrected sternly.

Trinity held her hands up surrender. "Well then excuse the hell out of me! I didn't realize how much was on the line!" She joked. "What about now? I would imagine that now that you two are older and professional ninjas that you would've ripped each other to shreds."

"Nah, that's what everyone thinks. We…actually get along pretty well. You know what they say…opposites attract." He said quietly looking at Trinity. She looked up at Leo and their eyes met (Supposedly. She could never tell with that mask). "Yeah…they do don't they?" Trinity whispered back.

Leo nodded and once again the two sat in silence eating until Trinity spoke up. "Okay, next question." She said setting her empty plate down and wiping her mouth with a napkin. "How long have you guys been training in "ninjitsu"" Trinity asked annunciating the word ninjitsu.

Leo laughed and a reminiscent smile crept onto his face. "Master Splinter started training us the second we could walk. While other human kids out age were learning how to ride a bike without training wheels, _we _were learning how to do nerve blows." Leo said with a small laugh.

"Wow. Having your dad as your Sensei. That must've been one strict dad." Trinity said shaking her head with a smile.

"Actually no. He knew where to draw the line between being a father and being our teacher. After we fell asleep, he would always come in and make sure we were all tucked in. He let us sleep with him when we had nightmares; he read us bedtime stories, kept us from murdering each other."

Trinity laughed at the last reason and at the sound of it, Leo couldn't help smile. "But all jokes set aside, Master Splinter is a great Sensei but an even better father. Casey and April even came down to the lair one day and asked him to adopt them." Leo said with a laugh.

"I would imagine he would've been a good father, I mean; having to raise four boys on your own and have them turn out as good as you guys?" Trinity said kicking off her shoes and tucking her legs in beside her. "Sounds like you had a pretty good childhood. No offense but…it's pretty sad when four mutants raised in a sewer can be more humane then, actual people raised in the city." Trinity said with a harsh tone. "You have any idea how rare guys like you are, Leo? I mean of course you're _rare_ as far as your appearance goes, but I'm talking about guys with your personality."

"Really? Tell me more about this "rare personality" of mine." Leo said jokingly as he turned so the two were face to face.

"Well let's see." Trinity said rubbing her chin thought. "You're kind, honest, noble, smart, funny, protective, a _total _gentlemen." Trinity sighed and her dropped head before she picked it up again to look at Leo.

Leo looked her hard for a second before saying, "Look. I'm flattered. But you're _not _getting out of your training session that easily." He said pointing a finger at her.

Trinity just smiled and slapped him on the arm. "As much as I _don't_ wanna do that-

Leo raised his hands and formed a claw before eyeing Trinity's waist with an evil smile.

"I mean as much as I'm _looking forward to it_." She said nervously raising her hands in surrender. Leo nodded in satisfaction as he set his hand back down beside him.

"I meant every word, you're awesome. You know; for someone who beat me up in a sparring match I wasn't ready for, tried to tickle me death, and is _forcing _me to train in ninjitsu against my will."

"Oh, BS. You _lost _a _bet_. You bought this on yourself." Leo said with a shrug.

"I know, but my story makes you sound like more of a jerk, and me sound like less of a dumbass so I'm sticking with it." Trinity said proudly.

"Hey, I _warned _you, besides whatever happened to "Dance is just like Martial arts." Leo said in a high-pitched voice. Trinity rolled her eyes and grimaced at him set their dirty dishes on the counter.

"_First of all_," Trinity said shooting a glare at Leo, "I don't talk like that and _second _of all, I said you can apply martial arts to dance _not _the other way around. I only made the stupid bet because I didn't think you'd actually _attack_ me, seeing as how I'm a girl and I was looking forward to putting you in a tutu and making you dance to Beyoncé's Single Ladies."

"Who would've wanted to have seen _that_?" Leo asked with a snort.

"I could probably give you a pretty long list." Trinity said with laugh. Her laughter was cut short, when she suddenly winced causing Leo to look over at her in concern. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"What? Oh nothing, my neck just got a little stiff from a nap I took on the couch earlier. I guess sleeping on two couches in the span of 32 hours isn't very good for your body." Trinity said as she rubbed her neck with a frown on her face

"I'll see if I can help." Leo offered.

Trinity raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Oh so you're a free runner, a ninja _and _a masseuse? There is simply _no _end to your talents is there?" Trinity said with a smile.

"I'd hate to brag but, _no _there is not." Leo said with mock arrogance.

"Okay, then well in that case by all means work your magic. Anything to get these damn knots out." Trinity said turning around so that her back was facing Leo.

A few moments later Trinity felt firm, yet gentle hands rubbing her shoulders. Immediately she feels the pain in her neck fade away and releases a pleasured moan as she closes her eyes and sighs happily. "Damn," She says moans pleasantly. "Is this one of those "ninja tricks" of yours?" Trinity asks.

Leo chuckles. "As a matter of fact, yes. We had to learn a lot about pressure points. If you find one in the right spot," Leo places on of his hands Trinity's neck and his breath hitches slightly as his calloused hands make contact with her warm, smooth skin. "And put the right amount of pressure on it," He pressed down slightly on a certain spot and a tingling feeling arose in Trinity's neck causing her to release another pleasured moan at the relaxed feeling that was spreading through her body. "You'll do a lot more good than you will harm." He says as goes back to rubbing the young woman's shoulders.

Trinity mumbled something Leo wasn't make out. "What was that?" He asked as he stopped.

"I _said_, that feels amazing. I'm gonna have make you into my personal masseuse, Leo." She said. She tossed her head back so that she was looking at him and smiled. "Thanks Leo." She said with a wink. "Hold on a sec, I'll be right back." She stood up and left the living room without another word, before going into her room and closing the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Leo collapsed onto the sofa with a loud sigh. Something felt very wrong with him, and he had no idea why. It is not as if he had never been around girls before. There have plenty of times when he spent one on one time with April and he never felt like this. Not during the phase, he went through when he thought he had a small crush on her shortly after they had just met her. With Trinity, it was different. Stronger is probably the best way to describe it. It went beyond him simply finding her attractive. He would feel his knees go a little weak when her heard her laugh, and felt he could look at her bright smile all day.

Trinity's door opens again and she comes back out wearing violet camisole, black sweatpants and fuzzy socks. He looks up when hears her walking over, but instead of awkwardly looking away a few seconds later like he had been doing all night, he keeps his eyes on her as she walks over to him smiling brightly. She plops back down on the couch and says with a content sigh, "Aah, much better. April had good intentions, but I had to get into something more comfortable." She ran her hand through her hair and looked up at the clock. She gasped when she saw the time, "It's 8 o'clock!" She said as if she'd forgotten something important. She grabbed the remote off the coffee table turned on the small TV, just as "So You Think You Can Dance, "was starting.

"Aah, well, guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Leo said stand up.

"What do you mean? You don't have to leave you should watch it with me." She said looking up at him and patting the empty cushion next to her. Leo just looked at her and raised an eye ridge.

"Come on, please? You might like it." She begged. She poked her bottom lip up and gave Leo the best puppy dog eyes she could manage. Leo gave in with a sigh and sat back down on the couch "Okay, why not...who knows, I might even pick up some new combat moves." He says with a smile.

"That's the spirt!" Trinity says raising her fist in the air with a laugh.

Looking down at her, Leo could not help but smile at Trinity as she watched the dance show with a look of awe and amusement in her face. "I take it you enjoy this show?" He asked with a small laugh.

"Enjoy is an understatement. I _love _this show. The dancers on here are so professional, and talented. Once I get out of Julliard, I actually plan on going on there. It's been a dream of mine ever since the very first time I saw it when I was 11." She said reminiscently. "I would actually spend a lot of time in my room pretending to audition for the judges." She and Leo laughed a little before Trinity said, "Leo, if you were able to live on the surface…what would you wanna do with your life?"

Leo did not have to think very long before answering, it was a question that had kept him up many nights before. "I've always picturing myself with a wife, two kids; a boy and a girl, and owning a small dojo somewhere in the city." He said with a smile.

"Aww, that's so sweet. I can't _imagine _being _your _daughter though. I bet she wouldn't be able to date until she's 30." Trinity said laughing and slapping Leo in the arm. "

"I wouldn't be _that _bad. I'd let her date when she turned 25." Leo said defensively. Trinity laughed at him and he held up his hands and said, "Okay, all kidding aside; of course I would protect her, and cherish her, but…I'd also give her space. I wouldn't her to _hate _me. I would make sure that she knows I do what I do because I _love her_ not _hate the world_."

"And your son?" Trinity asked wanting to hear more.

"I'd make sure he grow up to be respectful to those around him. I'd want him to noble, brave honorable

"So…a mini you right?" Trinity interrupted with a smile.

"As, arrogant as it sounds, yeah…I'd want him to like me." Leo admitted to her.

"That's not arrogant." Trinity said shaking her head. "Wanting your son to be like you is a _good _thing. Like I said earlier, you're a great guy."

"Thanks Trinity. It's always been something I picture in my head; a life like that. Then dawns on me that…it's never gonna happen." Leo said in a sudden somber tone that it pained Trinity to hear. She suddenly felt bad for asking the question and bringing the harsh reminder back to him. She looked at him with pity evident on her face.

Without thinking she slowly stretched her hand and placed in on top of his, and squeezed in a comforting manner. Leo stiffened before looking up at Trinity who was giving him a small smile. "Don't say that." She whispered running her thumb over the back of his hand.

"Trinity you don't get it, I'm never gonna-

"Did you think _I _ever expected to meet you? Do think Casey or April ever expected to meet you? _Anything_, can happen Leo. Heck, as of now, you and I are a living breathing example of that. A few weeks ago if someone told me that I was gonna find out that the guy I was chatting online with was going to turn out to be a six foot, talking, intelligent, katana wielding, free running, sewer dwelling, mutant turtle I wouldn't have believed them. But it happened didn't it?"

Leo nodded and Trinity continued. "So I don't see why if I tell you now, that you're gonna, get married to a beautiful woman, and have the life you want…that it won't happen."

She smiled at him warmly still hold his hand in hers and Leo sat there not saying a word as he once again felt Trinity's warm skin on his own, but instead staring at the girl in front of him, who all of a sudden seemed much more alluring to him than she had earlier.

They looked down at their hands, which were now intertwined and quickly released each other as they turned their attention back towards the television. Neither of them spoke to each other as they sat watching TV together, the only interaction between them being the occasional glances they each stole from each other while one of them wasn't looking.

By this point, So You Think You Can Dance, had long gone off and some paid program advertising a house cleaning product was on. Leo felt something tickle his shoulder and looked down to see Trinity had dozed off and had let her head drop onto Leo's shoulder.

Leo sighed, not wanting to be the one having to wake Trinity up and risk being slapped again. So he did what he thought would be safest for him gently lifted her into his arms. Trinity stirred a little as he lifted her, but calmed down once she was in his arms, and snuggled up against his plastron on her sleep with a content sigh.

Once again, he finds himself staring at the young woman, as she lies asleep in his arms. He shakes his head and resumes making his way into Trinity's bedroom. He nearly trips over a pile of clothing in front of the door and curses as he does the same a few seconds later.

He finally set's Trinity down on her bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched as she slept in the same angelic way she did back at the lair just a night ago. Before he realized what he was doing, he stretched his hand out, gently taking a lock of her hair in it, and running his hand through it.

He never knew why, but hair had always been something fascinated him for some reason. He did not know why. It is not as if he had never seen it before. Still, it amused him. He wanted to touch Trinity's hair since the day he saw it, and now that he finally did, it was different from what he had expected. It wasn't silky or wispy April's, or thin like Master Splinter's but was instead thick, and rather than touching silk, it felt he was touching a large ball of cotton. He continued to run his hands through Trinity's hair as he watched her sleep peacefully. As he sat there running his hands through her brown locks, he felt content, more than content actually. Bliss was probably a better word. He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear smiles. The moonlight that was illuminating the small bedroom hit her just right, and making it seem as if she was glowing.

Leo checked the time on the clock by her bed and was surprised by how late it had gotten. He and his brothers get up early every morning for their training session with Master Splinter, so it is always wise for them to get as much sleep as possible. Standing up, he tucks the covers tightly under Trinity's chin, before leaving her room. He turns the TV off and even puts the dirty dishes in the washer for her before leaving through the living room window and beginning his journey home by the rooftops, all the while with a smile on his face.

He had enjoyed the time he spent with Trinity that night, and was hoping that there would be many more nights like it to come.

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**(A/N): Sorry if the ending seemed a little forced, it seems like that to me at least. But you liked it that's all that matters! So please, leave a review in the box below. Don't be shy. ;-) Comments, complaints, constructive criticism, compliments and suggestions are always welcome. Until next time lovely readers. **

**Aster Sapphire out. PEACE! **


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N): Greeting readers! I think I'm going to be getting A LOT of updating done this week since it's Thanksgiving break! More time to write! Woohoo! *happy dance* speaking of reviews! I'd like to thank my mondo tubular (I've been watching a CRAP load of retro TMNT lately) reviewers! Livange16, I Love Kittens Too, cook563, Alice Star, oxCuteKataraox, Lady of Myth and Legends and whoever the mystery Guest reviewer was! I'd also like to thank everyone who has added me and/or this story to their favorites and is following me and/or this story. I LOVE YOU ALL! **

**Disclaimer: TMNT does not belong to me. I only own the OC's *sighs sadly and walks away***

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"Ready to go?" April asks Trinity sliding her purse onto her shoulder. It had been another long day at shop. It seemed as if Trinity only had a few seconds to breath between calls. She had probably gotten about 50 calls that day and had to argue back and forth with about half of them when she told them the item they asked for was not in stock. She managed to refrain from going off on any of them, only to scream vulgar words at the phone in frustration once they had hung up on her after calling her a few words that would have earned her a bar of soap in her mouth had she said them as a child. "Yeah," Trinity says standing up with a sigh. "I'm ready. Let's just go and get this stupid training session over with." She mutters under her breath, dreading the first of many training sessions she owed to Leo, which were bound to be full of relentless teasing. After how her embarrassing first sparring match with him was, she wasn't looking forward to humiliating herself any more.

"Oh, come on Trinity, training with Leo isn't that bad." April says with a laugh running her hands through her hair.

"How would you know?" Trinity shoots back harshly.

April raises an eyebrow and purses her lips, deciding to repress a scold she wanted to give to Trinity about her attitude. "It wasn't so bad the last time _I _trained with him." She says crossing her arms over her chest.

Trinity looks at her with a shocked expression on her face. "_You're _a ninja?" Trinity asks pointing a finger at red-headed woman.

April snorts and laughs a little. "_God_, no. Leo just forced me into learning the basics after a thug in an alley roughed me up a little a few months after we met. I told him that it was nothing to be worried about, and that it wouldn't happen again, but he wasn't going to have any of that."

"Wait, a minute he _forced _you? How did he _force _you? Not to be rude or anything but you're a _grown _woman you don't have to answer to him." Trinity says standing up.

"Believe me, Leo put his mind to it, and once he does that, arguing is pointless. All I earned myself was a lecture on getting home before it gets too late and a one way ticket to ninja boot camp." April says causing Trinity to laugh. When the laughter ceased April looked up at Trinity and gave her a hard look. "You know this has nothing to do with that bet you lost right?"

"What do you mean?" Trinity asks in a puzzled voice. "It has _everything _to do with the bet. If it wasn't for my stupid self making that bet I wouldn't be on my way to train."

"Well yeah but, he's only making you do it because you wants to be safe." April says as if it was obvious. "He cares more about you being safe, and being able to take care of yourself, than he does making this hell on you because you lost a bet. You know he followed you home that night you left my place to make sure you got back safely?"

Trinity laughs a little and nods her head. "Yeah, he told me about that the same night I came over to watch movies with you guys."

"See? All he wants is to know that you're safe. He cares about you, Trinity." April says placing a hand the young woman's shoulder. "He really, really, really, _really _cares about you." She adds with a grin.

"Oh shut up and let's go." Trinity says shoving April's hand off of her shoulder and giving her a mock glare. "We're _just _friends!"

"You know, Casey and I use to say that a lot." April teases.

"Yeah, and now some would have to surgically remove your lips off of his if they wanna hang out with out with you in private." Trinity sneered. The two laugh as they left the shop and began walking to the lair. During the trip there the two women chattered on about favorite movies, books and TV shows they had in common. Soon enough they found themselves descending down into the sewers and walking for a few minutes before they reach the entrance to the lair. April punches the password into the keypad without even looking and the doors open to the spacious home of the turtles and Master Splinter.

They had just walked in when they hear a terrible sound coming from the bathroom before the toilet flushes. They both exchanged curious and horrified looks with each other as Donatello walks up to them.

"Hey girls, wassup." He asks with a small smile. He turns his head toward the bathroom with concern and winces as the sound returned, followed by miserable moaning.

"What the _hell _is that?" Trinity asks shooting a glance at the bathroom.

"Oh, that's Mikey." Don says in a somber tone. "Ever since that night you introduced him to the wonderful world of Oreo cookies and Peanut Butter, it's been 95% of his diet. He finally cracked this morning. He's been barfing out anything he's ever eaten since he was five."

"Aww, poor baby." Trinity says frowning at the bathroom. "I went through the same thing when my boyfriend first introduced me to it. I spent an _entire _weekend puking." Trinity said a shudder.

"Speaking of boyfriend, aren't you training with Leo tonight?" Don asks looking at Trinity with a smirk on his face.

Trinity shot him a glare and exhaled, deciding to resist the urge to argue with him. "Yup." She says with a tight smile and a nod. "I'm all ready to train."

Don's face cracks into a grin before he burst out in laughter. "You have _fun _with that." He says to her. He walks over to April and tossed an arm over shoulder before steering her towards his lab.

"Wonder what that was all about." Trinity says to herself as she walks towards the dojo. When she enters, she finds Leo inside training with his katanas. She stands back and watches in awe as he moves across the mat and a smile formes on her face. She knocks on the door lightly and his head jerks up. He smiles when he sees her and motions her in. She enters, sliding the door closed behind her. "That's still amazing to watch." She says stepping towards him with a smile on her face.

"Thanks, feels amazing to do. It's pretty ironic how you can be at total peace and tranquility while practicing something that could kill someone." He says with a laugh. "So, you ready you to start? I promise I'll go easy on you the first time." He reassures.

Trinity looks at him and snorts. "You free run. I'm pretty sure your definition of 'easy' is quite different from mine." She says kicking her shoes off.

"Oh come on you big baby. It isn't gonna be that bad." He says grabbing her and pulling her onto the mat. She takes off the pull over and sweatpants she was wearing, leaving her clad in only a light blue exercise bra and leggings; her dance clothes. She had just decided to leave them on rather than go all the way home and find another change of clothes.

Leo's brain comes to a screeching halt as his eyes disobey his brain's orders and glue themselves to Trinity's lean, exposed waist and legs. _Stop staring dammit! _He scolds himself as he forces himself to turn away, but only finds himself staring at her once more as she put her hair up in a ponytail.

She walks over to him stops in front of him. "Okay, where do you wanna start?" She asks joining her hands together.

"We'll start with something simple." Leo says shaking his head, glad to find something to distract him. He grabs a pair of training gloves and slides them onto his hands before raising them up. "We'll start with something easy. Kick the center of the glove as hard as you can."

Trinity grins and nods. "I can do that." She takes a few steps back before taking a mediocre fight stance and kicking her leg in the air. Her leg was perfectly straight as she kicked and she was able to get her leg very high. Satisfied with her accomplishment she lowers her leg with a smile and looks over at Leo to get his opinion.

"That was good for a start." He says encouragingly.

"But…" Trinity says looking at him expectantly.

"But, I barely felt it to honest. You're gonna have to kick a bit harder than you do in dance." He says bluntly. He raises the gloves again and Trinity rolls her eyes. She took another fighting stance before kicking again, this time with more force, causing Leo's hand to move slightly. "Good, that was much better." He praises. "Now do it again."

"What? _Again_? But you said it was good! Can't I learn how to use a _sword _or something?" She says eagerly, grinning at the thought of her wielding a sword.

"No thanks, I'd like to refrain from being the one responsible for you chopping your own head off because I gave you a sword. Now do it again." He says sternly.

"But I don't wanna-

"Are you forgetting you lost a bet you made?" Leo says slyly.

Trinity's eyebrows furrow and she stomps her foot in frustration before taking another fighting stance. She delivers a kick angrily, nearly hitting Leo in the face. "What was that? You were nowhere _near _the glove."

"Wasn't aiming for the glove." Trinity shoots back, sticking her tongue. Leo rolls his eyes behind his mask and sticks his out as well.

Trinity kicks the glove as she was told, and did so several times afterwards, occasionally alternating legs. After practicing some kicks she tries some simple punches and chops. Once she gets those somewhat mastered she was told to make up random attack patterns, consisting of the basic moves she'd learned so far.

"So," She says breathlessly after a kick. "I hear…that April….has trained….with you before….were you…._this _hard….on her." Trinity says between kicks.

"Nah," He says shaking his head. "I was _much _harder on her. Believe or not this is me being nice." He says with a grin.

"Oh haha…"Trinity says. She kicks again, spinning around this time. She let her leg fall limp after her foot touches the glove. "But from what I hear…..it's actually you looking at for me." She says giving him a small smile. "That was so sweet….guess you're just a big brother to everyone huh?"

Leo smiles sheepishly. "Pretty much yeah. Not to sound conceited, but the world needs me as a big brother. Otherwise it would crumple and my brothers would kill each other." He jokes.

"As long as you don't sound conceited." Trinity says rolling her eyes at him. "Can I stop now?"

"Sure." He says tossing the gloves off. "Now this time-

"Ugggggggggggggggggh,I though we were _done_!" Trinity whines.

"_This _time," Leo repeats giving her a stern look. "You're gonna learn how to _evade _an attack."

"So…like ducking and stuff?" Trinity asks hoping it was go be as easy as she was making it sound.

"Yes," Leo sighs. "Ducking and stuff."

"Great! So when do we start?" She asks; eager to be through with exercise.

"Right now." Leo says. And before Trinity could blink an eye she feels her feet being swept from under her and her back hitting the mat.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" She yells at Leo with a grimace on her face.

"I told when we were starting." Leo says innocently. He offers her a hand and she glares at him before extending her hand to take it. He pulls her to her feet effortlessly, before flipping her and once again causing her to fall flat on her back. "_Never _trust your enemy in combat, by the way."

"_Combat? _This isn't _combat_ this_ you_ kicking my ass!" Trinity says standing up and rubbing a sore spot on her backside. Leo delivers another sweep kick knocking her off her feet and she pounds her fists on the ground in frustration. "Stop that! You're really starting to _piss _me off!" She shoots at him forcing herself to her feet.

"Well then you need to stay _focused_. I'm only doing a simple attack, the result of it is determined by whether or not _you _are focussing. Isn't that one of things you said we have in common the first time we did this?"

Trinity was stumped. Realizing she was unable to respond Leo continues to talk. "Just focus on what you're doing. Dodge the attack and then make one of your own okay?"

Trinity releases a breath and nods. Leo nods back and once again delivers another sweep kick. Only this time, Trinity jumps to avoid it, and when Leo came back up, she kicked in his direction, only missing him by an inch.

"See! Now was that so hard?" Leo asks her in a calm voice. Trinity shrugged not wanting to admit that he was right.

"I'll take your urge to refuse to admit I was right, as a yes." Leo says with a small smile. Trinity looked over at him and scowls.

"Are we almost done?" She asks in an annoyed voice.

"Just about." Leo says. "This time, you get to attack me."

Trinity laughs and shakes her head. "That didn't go very well the last time. That's kind of the reason I'm here."

"Relax, I won't make any counter attacks or anything, I'm just gonna dodge." He says reassuringly.

"Just dodge?" Trinity asks.

"Just dodge." Leo echoes.

"Fine." Trinity moans. She takes a fighting stance in front of Leo. She took a deep breath before directing a kick towards his head, which he dodges easily. She tries again, this time attacking with a jab aimed to hit him in the head as well, which he also dodges. She attacks again, throwing random attacks. Kicks, punches, chops. Each attack causing no harm to Leo, who dodges them all. This eventually frustrates her and she continues to send rapid attacks, barely paying attention to what she's doing, causing her attacks to go from being inches away from contact with Leo's body to missing him completely.

Trinity releases a sigh and bends over, resting her hands on her knees as she pants loudly.

"Forget it…I can't hit you. You've been doing this way longer than I have, I don't have a chance no matter hard I try. You're just to experienced and –

Suddenly Leo's fist comes flying at her and she manages to duck, just seconds before it could touch her face. He struck repeatedly as Trinity barely dodges each hit. She manages to catch his fist in her palm inches away from her face. She releases him and stares at him wide eyed. "What the _hell _was all of that?!" She fumes.

"Did I hit you?" Leo asks, ignoring her outburst.

"What? That has nothing to with I said-

"Did. I. Hit you?" Leo repeats sternly. Trinity looks at him sighs, throwing her hands in the before slamming them back down at her sides. "No. You didn't hit me."

"Are you experienced in ninjitsu?" He asks again in a softer tone.

"Not even a little." Trinity mutters giving him a hard look as she tries to figure out what the point of this conversation was. "What is it you're trying to say exactly?"

"What I'm trying to say is that you not being able to hit me earlier has nothing to do with how experienced I am. I was hardly even trying. You weren't able to hit me because rather than focusing on the task at hand you were too busy telling yourself you had no chance of beating me and fighting in anger. Had you of been focusing and keeping thoughts like that out of your mind, you would've been able hit me after your first few tries." Leo tells her in the same authoritative Splinter uses when he trains him and his brothers.

"So….what you're saying is that if I stop fighting because I'm pissed at you and stop bitching about how much more experienced you are than me, I'll be able to kick your ass?" Trinity asks, with a tiny shred of hope in her voice.

Leo chuckles. "Well that's a more…_vulgar _way of putting it…but yes; that's _exactly _what I'm trying to say." Leo says with a nod.

Trinity closes her eyes and releases a deep breath. "Alright…I'll give it another shot." She sighs. She takes a moment to calm herself down and takes another fighting stance in front of Leo. "Start when you're ready." He says.

Trinity exhales again and clears her mind of the negative thoughts that clouded it before and immediately feels as if a large weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She feels more free, and relaxed.

Without another word, she begins her attacks. This time, not thinking about what little chance she has, or fighting in anger. But instead, focusing only on striking her enemy and letting her movements flow naturally and calmly as she does when she dances.

She continues to strike, letting her body move and flow however it wants, she doesn't think about her next attack. As time seems to slow down, she simply lets her hands and feet do whatever they feel is the best movement to follow the previous one. Her eyes are locked on Leo, not taking a second to look away from him. She continues moving until she feels some hard suddenly appear under her knuckles.

She shakes her head, as if pulling herself from a powerful trance and finds her fist on Leo's plastron. Her face brightens up as her eyes dart back and forth between her fist and Leo, who is smiling warmly back at her.

"I punched you…." She says more to herself then him. "I-I _punched _you! I punched you! Woo!" She says raising her hands in the air, and bouncing a little. "I actually hit you! Did you see it?!"

Leo laughed and said, "Yeah Trinity I saw it." He can't help but feel a warm feeling rise inside of him as looks on as Trinity beams ecstatically. "You should've seen yourself." He says to her as she calmed down a little.

"What do you mean?" She asks, a large smile still plastered on her face.

"I mean, you were moving with such…_grace_." He says looking at her.

Trinity shrugs. "You can thank my years of ballet training for that." She says proudly.

"Guess your theory was actually…_right_." Leo says looking at Trinity with a mock look of shock on her face.

"Don't be surprised, sweetheart. This _is _Trinity Isabel Love you're talking to." She says haughtily. She takes her hair from the now messy ponytaill and lets it fall down past her shoulders.

Leo smiles and nods as the two stood there in silence for a moment staring at each other with warm smiles on their faces.

"You know…this was actually wasn't all that bad." Trinity stepping closer to Leo.

"So, does that mean you're looking _forward _to your next session?" He asks optimistically with a raised eye ridge.

"It _means _I'm looking forward to kicking your sorry butt again." She says sticking her tongue out. "Which reminds me…since I beat you _this _time, I was hoping I could a reward."

Leo visibly stiffens, afraid of what Trinity was going to ask of him. "And what might that be?" He replies warily.

Trinity bites her bottom lip and her eyes wandered to the hilt of Leo's katana. He follows her gaze and sighs inwardly.

"Can I hold one of your swords?" She asks clasping her hands together.

"Trinity I don't think that's a very good idea. You might hurt yourself." He says rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh please Leo? Just for a second, I _promise _I'll be careful! Besides, you'll be here. You won't let anything happen to me right?" She asks innocently.

"No! Never!" He blurts out. "I mean…of course not." He takes a sudden interest in his feet as he began rubbing the back of his neck again."

Trinity giggles only, adding the shame and embarrassment he was feeling as his cheeks turned red at the sound of her hearty laughter. He wasn't looking at her but could still see the wide smile on her face.

"Okay then. Since you're so positive that you won't let anything happen," Trinity looks at his katana again and holds out her hand with a pleading look until Leo finally gives in. He reaches for his hilt and Trinity squeals and claps her hands.

"_Only_ for a few minutes." He says pausing. Trinity nods.

Leo takes his katana out of its scabbard revealing a two and a half foot, perfectly polished, deadly yet radiant blade extruding from a leather blue hilt. Trinity's breath hitched as she looked over it in awe.

She slowly outstretches her hands as Leo carefully places the hilt in her hands. The moment Trinity's hand touch the hilt, despite the fact that Leo still has his hand around hers, she feels a wave empowerment arise in her. Leo looks at her and nods before removing his hand, leaving Trinity to hold the mighty blade on her own.

She releases a small laugh as she raises the blade to her face, where she saw her reflection.

From behind Leo watched shaking his head as Trinity held the blade awkwardly. Finally he walks over to her.

"Your posture's wrong. If you're gonna hold my baby, you have to hold her right." He says bluntly.

Trinity shrugs and smiles. "Fix it then. I'd hate to hurt your 'baby'." She says simply.

Leo nods and kneels down so he fix her legs. He parts them so that Trinity was standing a lunge-like state. He stood up and looked her over.

"You can't slouch." He says quietly. He places his calloused hands on her exposed waist. They both stiffen as they make contact with each other.

Leo opens his mouth to say…what exactly? An apology for possibly violating her? A lame joke about how awkward this moment was? An excuse about how he wasn't thinking? He sputtered as he tried to find the right words, but Trinity spoke first.

"It's okay." She whispers with a small smile, no hint of offense in her voice at all.

Leo just nods and straightens her posture so that her back is perfectly erect. He then moves to arms, standing behind her and moving her arms so that they were pointing downward. Trinity looks over him, their faces so close that their noses almost touch, and grins.

"So is there more this, or are you just enjoying the position?" She jokes.

Leo rolls his eyes behind his mask and laughs. "_Never _ tempt a guy who has a katana strapped to his back." He says warningly. He moves the katana up slightly so that the hilt is fist distance from her thigh.

"This kamae is called _sega." _ Leo says stepping looking at Trinity who is now in a better form. "It's the most basic of katana stances but at the same time the most deadly. The tip of the sword would pointing at your enemy's eyes. It's nearly impossible to get out of if you're the opponent." Leo continues.

"Nice." Trinity says with a nod. She slowly breaks her stance and begins to carefully execute mediocre moves with the blade, grinning the entire time. "This is _awesome_! I feel so empowered and so _badass_!"

Leo looks on with a smile as he watched the young woman slowly move across the mat moving the katana slightly with each step.

He once again found himself lost in her smile; it seemed to get more heartwarming and beautiful each time he saw every time he saw it. It seeming to him like many things about her were becoming seemingly more alluring each time he sees or hears it. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes; everything really. It seemed as if every day he would notice something about her that he felt added to her beauty each day he saw her. Like now for instance, he always thought her hair was a simple brown color, but now realized it was a mixture of various shades of the color. The majority of it being russet brown, with strands of sienna, or others that were chestnut. He continued to look on as she cautiously moves the katana around in the air, moving with the same grace she had earlier unable to make his eyes look elsewhere.

Finally she stops and holds the sword flat in her hand, admiring it. She let her eyes look over it before returning it to Leo. "Thanks." She says quietly. "Not just the sword…but the entire lesson….I really do look forward to being your student again."

"You're welcome." Leo said genuinely taking his katana back and sheathing it. "I look forward to being your teacher."

Trinity smiles and wrapped her arms around Leo in a hug, squeezing him tightly. Leo stiffens and hesitates before wrapping his arms around her waist again and returning her hug. They finally pull apart. Trinity's hands on Leo's shoulders and his loosely around her waist.

"You do realize that if anyone here catches us like this we'll have to flee the country together to live it down right?" She asks seriously.

Leo forces himself laugh as Trinity shook her head and left his arms, leaving them empty. She slings her bag over her shoulder. "I'm gonna change into some actual clothes, before I head home."

"Lemme know when you're ready. I'll take you." Leo replies.

Trinity smiles and nods. "Who ever said chivalry was dead?" She says smoothly before turning and leaving the dojo.

Once she's gone Leo drags his hands down his face and groan.

Hugging? Giggling? Smiling? Showing up in an exercise bra and skin-tight leggings?

Leo sighs.

"She just isn't going to make this easy on me, is she?" Leo whispers to himself as he turns and leaves the dojo, to wait for Trinity in the kitchen.

* * *

**(A/N): Yay! Another chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed, of you did, tell me in that little box below! Reviews make me happy and always out me in a mood into write more. ;-) **


	9. Chapter 9

**(****A/N): Hey guys! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! ;-) I would like to thank my awesome reviewers: IceColdFever, cook563, TubaChick101, addcleric, oxCuteKataraox, Lady of Myth and Legends, purrpix, and Livangel16! Huge thank you to all you who are following this story as well! You guys are awesome! Virtual hugs for all of you! **

**Disclaimer: TMNT does not belong to me. All OC'S are mine though!**

* * *

Leo's POV

I was pacing back and forth around my room as I waited for Trinity to come out of the shower. The training session had been a complete disaster…for my hormones that is. I felt so guilty. Trinity would always talk about what a wonderful modest person I was, when I had to go war with myself to keep from staring at her cleavage during our training session, and to think, I had four more classes to go because I just _had _to make her train with me for a whole week. Four more days of this. Wonderful.

I hear a knock on my door and before I grant the person permission to enter, it flies open and my brothers rush in with large grins on their faces. Again I say. Wonderful.

Mikey opens his mouth to speak but I beat him to it.

"Shut up! We're just friends, I'm not in love with her. Get out, now!" I yell harshly as I fall onto my bed.

"Temper, temper Leo." Raph says shaking his head with a stupid grin on his face.

"I know right? We just wanted to come in and ask you how your first training session with Trinity went." Mikey sneered.

"Better than your failed attempt to try and survive off of nothing but Oreos and Peanut Butter." I shoot back him, causing him to glare at me.

"Damn, you're pretty touchy tonight, fearless. Hey speaking of touchy-

"Raph I swear to God…" I say burying my face in my hands.

"Okay, okay my bad. But seriously how'd it go? I'm curious." Raph says sitting down next to me.

"She showed up…in an exercise bra and leggings…" I mutter pathetically.

"Dude, it was a training session. What'd you expect, a burqa?" Mikey asks with a laugh.

"No…but….it was just _weird_!" I say not knowing any other way to describe the way I felt during the session, at least no other way that wouldn't result in me getting ridiculed.

"Awww, this is so cute! Fearless is _finally _realizing what feels to be _aroused_." Raph says adding air quotes at the word aroused. Causing him, Don and Mikey to burst into laughter.

"Oh shut up Raph! You don't understand, and that's only because 75% of your time goes towards staring at pictures of Megan Fox in a bikini. Seriously dude? _What _is with the fetish you have with her? I worry about you." I say placing a hand on his shoulder. He shakes it off as Mikey and Don snicker.

"What goes on between me and Megan ain't got nothing to do with any of you!" Raph says defensively.

"What goes on between you and Megan would give me nightmares." I say sternly. "What happens between the two of us is our business and that's final."

"Ooh! So something _did _happen!" Mikey says excitedly. "Come on! Talk! What happened!?"

"Nothing!" I yell suddenly. "Absolutely,_ nothing_ happened!"

My younger brothers exchange smirks before looking at me sympathetically. "So _that's _why you're upset?" Raph says understandingly.

"Because absolutely _nothing _happened. Sorry about that bro." Raph says patting my knee. Mikey frowns at me and puts his hand on my shoulder as all three of them begin a full on mock pity party for me. I really hate them sometimes.

"Okay, will you guys stop it?!" I say standing up, jerking away from all three of them.

"_You _stop it!" Mikey shoots back.

"Stop what?" I ask, immediately regretting actually asking Mikey to explain something.

"Stop denying you like her! You two are like, _perfect _for each other! You connect well, you balance each other out. How can you not see love blossoming here? You have a perfect opportunity here and you are _completely _ignoring it! She's hot girl other than April who's _willing_ to spend time with you and you refuse to make a move. What's wrong with you?" Mikey exclaims throwing his hands in the air.

"I know right? You have some _serious _issues going on." Don says nodding in agreement.

"Nothing's _wrong _with me I just don't like her like that!" I shoot back.

"You do of course realize that are trying to lie to someone who has an IQ of over 300, right?" Don asks in an arrogant tone.

"Don why are you even here? Shouldn't you be in your lab with April or something?" I say in a frustrated tone.

"Casey came here and bought her home while you and Trinity were training." He replies smugly. "So, I figured that I'd come in here and ridicule you since we'd finish our project. So here goes." He paused to clear his throat, "How long was it before she caught you drooling over her in the dojo while you two were training?" He inquires rubbing his chin.

"Just _stop _it you guys. Look, Trinity's not even my _type_." I say hoping they'll agree and leave me alone.

"Not your type…not your type?! Dude! We are the _only _males in our species! Our _type _is any breathing female that will give us the time of the day. In which case, she is _definitely_ your type." Raph says earning a nod from Mikey and Don.

"Hey, Leo I'm ready to go." Says a new voice.

I whirl around to find Trinity with her damp brown hair hanging loosely, now wearing a black Deadmau5 t-shirt, blue skinny jeans and black converse. She looks at my brothers who are grinning at her before looking at me and her cheeks turn red as she realizes what was going on.

"Trinity," Mikey says casually. "Funny of you to pop in we were _just _talking about you."

Trinity raises an eyebrow. "Well isn't that sweet. Come on Leo, we should get going. I'm _exhausted_. After dance and training with _you_. I don't have a shred of energy left in me." She says. Suddenly her face lights up as a light bulb went off and she slides her yarn shoulder bag off her shoulder before digging around in it. "That reminds me," She says pulling out a folded sheet of paper. "My winter dance recital is in two weeks. You guys should come." She says holding the paper out. Don takes it out and looks it over.

"Don't worry, it's at night time and you'll be able to watch from the upper level of the auditorium. _No one _goes up there and you'll have a pretty good of the stage." She says.

"Ooh! It sounds like fun! We should totally go! Maybe we'll meet hot dancers too!" Mikey says excitedly.

Trinity laughs a little and shakes her head. "_Whatever _the reason you decide to come, it'll be great to have you guys there. Casey and April too. Maybe Master Splinter might even come."

"We'll talk to him about later. I'm sure he won't mind too much." I say. "Come on, let's go ahead and get you home."

She nods and says good-bye to the others before allowing me to steer her out of my room before any of them are able to bring up the conversation we had about her and cause me to die of embarrassment right on the spot. She slips her coat on before grabbing duffel bag containing her clothes and leaving the lair. She begs me to take her home by simply using the alleys and I finally agree after she pulls the puppy dog face routine.

We had been walking in silence for a while until she finally said. "So, are you gonna thank me rescuing you from your brothers?" She asks suddenly not even looking at me.

I stop dead in my tracks and I feel the color drain from my face. "You…you _heard _us?" I stammer.

She sighs and nods solemnly and I feel my cheeks heat up. "I am _so _sorry about…_them_. They're just-

"Just being pesky little brothers, I know." She says with a laugh as we continue to walk. I must have a look of embarrassment on my face because she suddenly says, "You're so _cute _when you're embarrassed; you know that?" She says, causing me to blush even more if that was possible was.

We continue walking making simple banter every now and then, and it feels like the night we spent together at her apartment all over again. No distractions, no worries, no trouble just…us being together. After I left her apartment that night, I remember thinking that if another night like that ever came around it again, it would be ages before it did.

"Hey, do you think I'll be able to use a katana on my own someday?" Trinity asks nudging me.

"What _is _this obsession you have with katanas?" I ask her.

She just shrugs and says, "I dunno, I guess they're just cool. And don't talk to me like I'm wrong for it, are you honestly trying to tell me that you don't think those things are freaking bad ass. When did you get them anyway? I've bet you've been training with them since you were five right?"

"Hell no, Master Splinter didn't give us actual weapons until we were 13. We had just been using bokken up until then." I say with a scoff.

"Gotta love over protective parents. Only at least _yours _does it because he loves you, rather than because they don't trust you or anyone you hang out with." She says bitterly. She was speaking so quietly that I didn't know if I was supposed to hear it or not.

"I swear, my mom drove away _everyone_." She continues in the same bitter tone she used before, only this time speaking louder. Perhaps out of anger, or maybe she was actually talking to me. Either way, I listened intently as she went on.

"She drove away any friend she thought of as a bad influence, any boyfriend she thought had "hidden motives". Pretty much anyone who didn't her meet her expectations. Eventually Melody and I had gotten sick of and…and…

Her eyes become distant and she goes into a trance like stake as her hand rises to touch the bracelet on her wrist. And just like that, she's zoned out. Just like she did that morning after movie night back at the lair.

"Trinity?" I ask.

No response. She just stands there staring off to space.

"Trinity!" I say again shaking her this time.

"What?" She says startled shaking her head. "What happened?"

"You zoned out on me…again." I say bluntly. She sighs solemnly slaps her forehead.

"So…you gonna tell me what that's all about?" I ask looking at her. "And don't say you don't know what I'm talking about. You did that back at the lair the other morning. You started talking about your mom and…_someone _and then you just zoned out for nearly five minutes."

"It's just…a bad habit of mine is all." She says sadly, hugging herself and looking down at the ground.

"Seems like a little more than that if you ask me." I reply. I expect her to yell at me but she instead just hugs herself tighter and sniffles.

"It's just…it's that…back in Florida I…I…" She trails off and suddenly looks up with a concerned look on her face.

"What's wrong?" I ask following her gaze.

"I thought I saw something. Like a shadow." She says still looking up.

It takes me about three seconds to realize what she may have seen and I sense a presence that I know all to well and fill with panic. I draw my swords instantly and Trinity widens her eyes.

"Leo, what-

"Trinity, find a safe place to hide and _do not _move from it until I say so." I say in a low voice, praying they haven't seen her yet.

"Find a safe place to hide? No, Leo tell me what's going on, I-

"Trinity _don't _argue with me right now! I can't risk you getting hurt! No go _hide_." I practically growl at her. Her eyes fill with something I haven't in them in ages. Fear. Fear of me to be exact. I feel terrible about scaring her but don't have time to explain myself because before I can she squeezes behind a dumpster, so she is no longer in sight.

Just time too. Because not even seconds after she's hidden herself; I'm surrounded by a group of foot ninja led by Karai.

* * *

Trinity sat behind the garbage can with her knees hugged tightly to her chest. Her breathing heavy and her heart racing. She watched from the behind the dumpster in fear as Leo, who was surrounded by foot ninja, spoke with Karai.

"What are you doing here Karai?" Leo spits at the woman harshly. Rather than respond, she just smiled evilly. Causing a shiver to go down Trinity's spine.

"Why Leonardo, can I not visit a friend when I desire to do so?" She asks slyly. "I have come to once again make you the offer you so foolishly declined the last time we spoke."

"I already told you, I'm _not _interested in working for the Shredder and neither is my family! Now leave us _alone_!" Leo hisses.

Karai's fist clench and her face turned red as she begins to tremble with anger.

"You are such a fool! Do you not realize that by joining the foot, not only would the feud between us be over, but you will also _rule _New York, and several other places on the globe where the foot clan is stationed. No longer will you and your brothers have to dwell in the sewers like filth! Fighting for, and protecting a society that does not even respect you. Join us…and not only will you be _respected _by those who treat you so badly, but also _feared_."

"The only _filth _I see here is you. The life my family and I live isn't exactly a fairytale, but trust me; we would prefer to continue living the way we do now than we would, be stripped of our honor and become criminals by joining the likes of _you_." Leo snarls.

"Leonardo you are passing up an amazing opportunity for you and your family." Karai says, trying her hardest to stay calm. "You and your brothers are very skilled fighters. If you would only stop serving decrepit, foolish, _vermin _you call a father, you would-

"DO _NOT_," Leo suddenly yells , raising his katana to Karai's throat. "SPEAK OF MY FATHER THAT WAY, YOU _BITCH_!"

Trinity covers her mouth to conceal her gasp that threatened to escape her and give away her position. Never before had she seen Leo so angry. In fact, the Leo who was talking to Karai was almost like an entirely different person to her. His voice was full of disgust and hate that Trinity never thought Leo had inside of him.

The foot ninja had advanced and drew weapons of their own. Some wielded katanas, while other held chains or small knives.

"It would be wise for you to calm yourself Leonardo." Karai says coolly. "For your sake,"

From behind the trashcan, Trinity feels something yank her hair. With a tight grip on her hair, she is dragged from behind the dumpster and tossed onto the ground roughly, causing her to hit her head on the pavement, resulting in a sudden, intense pain in her skull. She moans and lifts her hand to her head, and pulls it away to find it bloody. In a flash, she is on her feet with her arms trapped in an iron grip behind her back, and a blade pressed against her throat.

"As well as hers." Karai says stroking Trinity's head. Trinity jerks away from Karai and scowls at her. She struggles a little, but stops when she feels the blade being pressed down against her throat.

"Let her go Karai! This has nothing to do with her. This is between you and me!" Leo yells.

Karai ignores him and turns to Trinity who is scowling at her. "What is your relationship to him?" She asks sternly pointing a finger at Leo. Trinity looks up and sees Leo giving the slightest shake of his head.

"Answer me!" Karai snaps at Trinity.

"I-I don't know how he is!" She says shakily. "He saved me from a group of thugs that attacked me. He was just walking me home." Trinity says, praying that Karai would not suspect she is lying.

Karai looks Trinity over hardly. Realizing that Karai may not believe her story she continues, "Please just let me go! I swear I have no idea who he is! I just wanna go home!" She says, managing to force fake tears to fall from her eyes.

Karai and the other foot ninja look Trinity over, trying to decide whether or not to believe her.

Deciding to act while they are distracted, Leo moves at lightning speed, taking out several unsuspecting foot ninjas, causing them to fall to the ground unconscious before they are able to make an attack. The ninja holding Trinity screams in pain, before releasing her. Trinity turns to see a ninja star stuck in his hand. Leo kicks him the head, and he falls to ground limply with a moan. Leo grabs Trinity and shoves her behind him protectively.

He then charges at Karai, the tip of his katana aimed at her throat. Before he is able to cause her any harm she whips out her own katana in a flash, and just barely manages to block the attack. Their blades lock and they glare at each other.

"Patience Leonardo. The day of our final battle will come someday, but not this one." She says to him. She throws a smoke bomb down and Leo turns away coughing. The smoke clears, leaving only Trinity, Leo and the unconscious foot ninja re left in the alley.

Leo makes his way over to Trinity, who is leaning against a wall, keeping her hand pressed against her skull, which is throbbing with such pain, that she has to bite her tongue to hold back a sob.

"Are you okay? " Leo asks frantically.

"I'm fine…it's just my head. I can take a painkiller and get some ice on it when I get home." She says. She takes a few steps forward but immediately regrets it when her head screams in protest and bile rises in her throat. She sways a little and falls into Leo's strong arms, which lift her off the ground before walking away.

Trinity lets her head fall onto Leo's plastron, which to her surprise is very comfortable, and listens to his steady heartbeat. The rhythmic beating of his heart causes a calmness to rush over her and she smiles warmly. "So, you gonna tell me who those guys were?" She asks.

Leo sighs. "That was the foot clan. They've arch enemies of my family for the past four years." He says bitterly as he recalls of the torment his family had endure because of the foot ninja.

Trinity nods. "They don't seem very nice." She says simply.

Leo laughs causing his body as well as Trinity to shake. "Yeah, _nice _isn't the first word I would use to describe them." His voice then grows serious and he says, "I told you to pretend you didn't know me so that they wouldn't come after you. We already put Casey and April in enough danger. I don't wanna add anyone else to the list."

"So do you think they bought it?" Trinity asks looking up at Leo, barely managing to conceal the fear in her voice.

"Most likely. It's not like it was that hard story to believe." Leo says reassuringly. "Chances are they'll see you as worthless."

"Gee ,thanks. Girls _love _hearing stuff like that." Trinity says dryly.

"Trust me when it comes to the Foot clan, you're better off being of no use to them." Leo replies.

They reach Trinity's building where they climb the fire escape to her floor and enter through the window. Leo takes her to her bedroom where he sits her down on her bed before going to the kitchen to grab an ice pack and a glass of water, and retrieving painkillers from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. He gives Trinity the ice pack before leaving the room so she can into her pajamas. Once she announces she is done, she crawls into bed with a sigh, placing the ice pack on her head and taking the painkiller along with a sip of water.

"Can I get you anything else?" Leo asks Trinity sitting down on her bed.

"No thanks, you've done plenty already." Trinity says. "You were great out there."

"I should've been better. I should've been able to stop them before they could hurt you." He says bitterly looking down at the floor.

He feels a warm hand slid under his chin and hold it in a firm yet gentle grip, turning it until Leo is face to face with the hand's owner.

"You fought off several ninjas, carried me home and stayed to make sure I was going to be okay. You were a hero today Leo…you were _my _hero, and I appreciate that." She says kindly. "Don't beat yourself up about it."

She leans forward and places a tender kiss on his cheek. Leo's body begins to tingle, and heart skips a beat. A warm feeling rises inside of him when Trinity's soft, warm lips make contact with his skin.

She smiles and moves her hand to the side of his cheek. "You're amazing Leo." She says warmly. "Don't forget that."

Leo is not able to speak. He can only nod his head to show that he understands. The two sit in silence before Leo clears his throat and speaks up. "So before we were so _rudely _interrupted," He says turning around so he can face her. "You were about to tell me why you always zone out so much. Something about someone in Florida?"

Trinity's face suddenly changed from content to morose. "Oh right…that." She says quietly looking down.

"Trinity? You know can tell me anything right?" Leo asks in hushed tone. Trinity looks up and nods. She was biting her bottom to keep it quivering as her eyes began to feel moist. Noticing this, Leo stretches his hand out and places it over hers, in a comforting manner. He gives her a small encouraging smile and squeezes. Trinity swallows and squeezes his hand back, before taking deep breath, and telling Leo what she remembered from the horrific event.

"Back, when I was living in Florida, my twin sister, Melody and I were going to a club together. It was nearing the end of summer and we were going to have to go our separate ways once school started again. She was moving to California to become an actress and I was moving here in hope that I would dance on Broadway someday." Trinity smiled sadly and sniffled before continuing. "We had been working _so _hard to get prepared to go our schools. She decided that we needed a break so one night we went out this club together, as a way to relax you know? Everything was fine…I was dancing, she was talking to a new guy she met…it just seemed like it was going to be a nice, fun night for us….but then…then everything just went horribly wrong…"

* * *

_There is a loud crash from the back of the club, and seconds later, everyone begins screaming in panic and terror. _

_The club fills with panic as everyone begins to push past each other to escape the club. Trinity, on the other hand was going in the opposite direction; struggling to make her way past the large mob of people trying to escape the club as they screamed in terror._

"_Melody!" Trinity calls desperately. But it was useless, she was not even able to hear her own voice. It was impossible that Melody would be able to. She stops her attempts at trying to call after her sister and continues to push her way through the mob of people, nearly being pushed to the ground and trampled several times. _

_Ignoring the people yelling after her to leave her sister, she continues pushing past them. The crowd finally begins to become less dense and Trinity was able to see her sister, at the very back club where the bar was. She was lying on the ground unconscious with blood oozing from a gash on her head. On top of her, was a large neon sign, that had fell from the wall when the shelf gave out. Blood drained from Trinity's face as she breaks into sprint and hurries over to her sister. _

_The neon sign was gargantuan. Much too heavy for Trinity to move on her own. The fire was spreading around her as, sirens wailed in the distance. Trinity grunts as she continues to try and move the sign. By now the fire had grown very large, and was burning the walls of the club, and making its way to the ceiling._

"_Melody!" Trinity cries gently shaking her sister's shoulder. "Melody, please! Wake up!" She cries again, shaking her a little harder this time._

_Melody releases a weak moan and her eyes flutter open. Trinity smiles down at her, and releases a sigh of relief._

"_Trinity…" Melody groans weakly._

"_I'm here, Melody, I'm here." Trinity says placing her sister's head in her lap and placing both of her hands on her face. "I'm gonna get you out of here okay?" _

_Melody nods weakly and coughs. There was a loud crash behind them as a large portion of the ceiling gave out and feel the floor. Trinity screams and covers her sister's body with her own, as chunks of the ceiling fell around them. Trinity tries calling for help but with sound of the fire, the sirens, and the fact that her so raw from the thick black smoke, that she could not yell; no one was able to hear her. _

"_Trinity…" Melody groans weakly. "Trinity you have to get out of here. This sign is to heavy, there's no way you can move it." _

"_No! I am _not _leaving you_!" _Trinity says in a shaky voice as the club continues burning._

"_There's no way I'm making it out here!" Melody says. Even in her current state, bleeding forehead, trapped under a sign, barely even strong enough to speak; Melody spoke in a brave, determined, authoritative tone. She moans in pain suddenly and Trinity looks down at her and notices the gash on her forehead was oozing more blood at a quicker pace. _

_Trinity did not say a word in response. Instead, she looks down at her sister and then around the club, which was falling apart before her eyes, and could bury her any second. She sits down on the floor cross-legged, letting her sisters head stay in her lap. She wraps her arms around her sister's body and leans down, burying her face in her sister's hair._

"_Trinity…please…don't stay here…" Melody says weakly. Trinity shakes her head and holds her sister in her arms tighter as another chunk of the roof fell, this time only a few yards away from them. Trinity screamed as another followed it and protects her sister's body as best as she can. _

_She feels a gentle force move her shoulder up, and she sits up, and finds herself looking down at her sister, who was smiling at her sadly. She weakly places something into Trinity's hand. She looks down and finds her sisters charm bracelet. A silver chain with several small charms, each studded with small black diamonds. _

_Trinity stares down at it with wide eyes. Melody places her hand on Trinity's and closes her fingers around the bracelet, before placing her hand on the side of Trinity's face. _

_Trinity's eyes fill with tears that she was not able to stop from falling down her face as she holds the jewelry in her trembling hand. She shakes her head rapidly. "No…no….no Melody please don't this! Please, don't leave me Melody! Dammit, Melody don't this!"_

_Melody says nothing. She blinks slowly; when her eyes open, again they stayed that way. Her head fell to the side, as distant, lifeless, dark green eyes stare off in the distance. Her chest, once rising and falling slowly, is now motionless. _

_For a moment, Trinity did not know what to do. She stares down at her sister. She begins trembling uncontrollably. Ignoring the pain that rose in her raw throat when she did so, she screams. _

_She screams out of rage, anguish, fear, everything she is feeling as she holds Melody's lifeless body in her arms. She buries her face in her sister's stomach, and weeps hysterically. _

_She did not know how long she was there; she did not care._

_There is a gentle tug on her shoulder and she turns to see a firefighter standing above her. He takes one look at the situation and looks down at Trinity with true sympathy._

"_Come on Miss, we have to get you out of here." He says grabbing her arm. Trinity snatches away and scowles at him._

"_I'M NOT LEAVING HER! GO AWAY!" She yells causing her throat to burn. _

"_I can't do that Miss, no come on!" He says sternly, grabbing her arm again with an iron grip that Trinity is unable to escape from._

"_No! I don't wanna go with you! I'm staying with Melody!" She shouts as she tried to pull away. The firefighter was not moved. He continues to try and take her along with him as she kicks and struggles; screaming her sister's name. _

_Finally, the firefighter spins her around so she was facing him._

"_Sorry about this Miss, it's for your own good." The firefighter says. Without another word, he sends his fist flying into her face, knocking her out instantly. She falls limp in his arms, and drops the bracelet. The firefighter notices this and bends down, he picks it up and examines it before closing it tightly in his palm before tossing Trinity over his shoulder and exiting the building just as it collapsed…_

* * *

"When I woke up I was in the hospital…for a moment I felt hope. I thought that I had just hit my head hard and had a nightmare…but….then the doctor came and confirmed it…Melody was dead. It was the bleeding from the gash on her forehead. When I heard this I went insane…crying, screaming, destroying the room…they finally had to sedate me to get me stop. The next time I woke up, I just laid there. I didn't cry, I didn't scream…I don't even remember moving much…I just laid there. The firefighter from the club came in and he had the bracelet. He didn't say anything, he just looked at me sympathetically and placed on the bed by hand…then he left." Trinity says, her shaky voice, barely even audible. "They told me that the guy she was with, Heath, left the same time everyone else did, he didn't try to help her."

Trinity sits there for a moment with her face in her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks.

From where he sat on the bed, Leo looks at her with wet eyes. He immediately regrets ever asking Trinity to explain the significance of the bracelet to him. His heart felt heavy, and there is a lump in his throat that prevents him from being able to say any words of comfort, not that many actually came to mind.

"I always thought….that if I had stayed with her….and that if I hadn't of gone off…and left her that…_asshole_….that I could've done something! It was all my fault…it was all my….

That is all she able to get out before, she bursts into tears, burying her face in face hands. She does not need an invitation into Leo's arms. She instead throws herself in them, and buries her face in his shoulder. Leo wraps his arms around her tightly, pulling her closer against him as she sobs. He does not say anything, there nothing he could really find to say, so instead he just holds her. Stoking her hair comfortingly, trying his damn hardest to hold back tears of own.

Her weeping subsides to just sniffling and Leo grabs her by her shoulders and pulls her away from him. Her head is hanging, as small sobs escape her. Leo lifts her chin with one hand, and keeping it under her chin; wipes her tears away with the other.

"I sorry," She says with a sniff. "I didn't mean to break down like that."

Leo just shakes his head and says, "If anyone should apologize it's me. I shouldn't have made you recall something like that."

Trinity laughs darkly. "There's not a second that goes by when I don't think about that day, so you don't have to feel like that. It's just…it's been a really long time since I've talked about it is all." She says morosely. Leo nods and sighs.

"I am _so _sorry Trinity, I can't imagine how it must've felt to like to go through what you did." Leo says placing his hand over hers.

"It was horrible…I know this sounds corny but…I felt like I lost a part of _me _that night. Melody wasn't just my sister…she was my best friend. She's the one who pushed me to follow my dreams whenever I wanted to give up. When we couldn't take our mother anymore and moved out, even though we were the same age, she was also like a mother to me sometimes. Everything our actual mom wasn't. She was supportive, free-spirited, she had a sense of humor." Trinity said with a small smile. "She was everything."

Leo smiles back at her. "She'd be very proud of you Trinity." He says quietly rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. Trinity smiles back and nods. "I would hope so." She whispers back.

Leo stands and says, "I should probably get going now." Trinity nods and climbs back under the covers, Leo is about to leave her bedroom when he turns and says, "If you ever need to talk…you know where to find me." He waves and makes his way into the familiar living room where he exits through the window, and makes his way back home.

His heart feels heavy as he travels, he raises his hand to his cheek and lightly touches the area where Trinity kissed him, and almost immediately a warm feeling spreads throughout his body, chasing the prior, anguish away and instead replacing it with pure, bliss.

* * *

**(A/N): Woohoo! And the foot clan has made their appearance! I don't know it that's a good thing or a bad thing. Oh well! You guys decide. ;-). So did you like, if so; then please tell me in a review! If not, put your complaint in a review, or PM me about it. No flames though, there IS a difference. :-P Until next time readers! Ciao! **


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N): Hey guys! Sorry about how late this is. I know I usually update a little faster than this, but I just haven't had the time, BUT I'm have some now, so here ya go! As usual I wanna thank my awesome reviewers who always make me smile: Livangel16, bell-13-tmnt-lover, oxCuteKataraox, cook563, IceColdFever, x, Brooke Thomas, I Love Kittens Too, and .7146557! Favorite/followers, reviewers, YOU GUYS ROCK!**

**Disclaimer: TMNT is not mine. If it was they would NOT be aliens in their upcoming film. ;-)**

* * *

Trinity walked into her dance studio the same she walked into the 2nd Time Around Earlier for her shift that morning, with a smile on her face. The same smile that she had been unable to keep off her face since the conversation Leonardo had with her the other night. It had been the first time she had opened up to anyone about Melody since Lana. Every time she thought back to the way he held her in his arms that night, a serene feeling would rise inside of her.

She all but skipped into the locker room that night as she went to her locker and began to change. She left the locker room dressed in her dance shoes, a black spaghetti strap top and black leggings. She wore a light gray jacket with her cell phone tucked in her pocket. As she walked down the hallway, putting her hair in a ponytail, she heard faint music coming from the dance studio. She it ignored at first, but after a few moments, she began to recognize it.

It was the song she was supposed to dance to for her solo performance at the Winter Showcase, in a couple of weeks.

Furrowing her brow, she stormed down the hallway and entered the studio with a scowl on her face. She made a beeline for the stereo and pushed the pause button, before turning to face the dancer, who had stopped and was looking around with a puzzled look on his face.

"Um, _what _do you think you're doing? I would hope you aren't practicing for the showcase this song is already taken." Trinity said crossing her arms and stepping towards the dancer. She took a step back however when he turned around and looked her over with frustration.

Standing before her was a young man. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt and basketball shorts. He had olive colored skin, and chin length, silky black hair. He had emerald green eyes and was tall as well as very muscular.

"Trinity Love?" He asks with in a heavy Hispanic accent.

Trinity's words catch in her throat, leaving her unable to give the young man a verbal reply. So she instead, simply nods, and the young man smiles revealing perfect, white teeth.

"My name is Alejandro Esperanto, your partner for the winter showcase." He says with a smile, sticking his hand out in a friendly gesture. Trinity's eyes widen and Alejandro's smile falters.

"You are surprised?" He asks raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, _yeah_ I'm surprised. The dance I'm doing for _that _song, is a solo routine I've rehearsed for _months _now. I'm pretty sure I would've noticed if a solo routine _I _created was suddenly a duet." Trinity says. She steps closer and glares at Alejandro with her arms folded tightly across her chest, with the most intimidating scowl on her face she can manage. But unlike other guys she has given the powerful glare to in the past. Alejandro is unfazed; he simply stared at her blankly and sighs.

"Look, you can ask Ms. Nelson. She told me I would be doing a duet with you at the Winter Showcase. You can go and ask her if you do not want to believe me." He said calmly.

"Oh, I will _definitely _do that! And don't you _dare _rehearse _one more step _for _my _dance until I get back! You got that?!" Trinity hisses poking Alejandro in the chest. She storms out of the studio and casts a glare back at Alejandro before growling in frustration and leaving. She marches straight to Ms. Nelson's office and barges in without even knocking. She was in the middle of a conversation with two parents who were chatting aimlessly with her as they filled out a stack of forms in front of them.

They all turn their attention to Trinity, as she glares at Ms. Nelson, her jaw clenched tightly and her hands balled into fists. "Why did you change my solo routine into a duet and why the _hell _am I just now finding out about it?" She hisses.

Ms. Nelson purses her lips and bows her head with a sigh. She runs hand through her short auburn hair, barely managing to refrain from tearing it out. "Mr. and Mrs. Johnson could you please excuse us for a moment? I need to have a talk with one of my students." She says forcing a smile onto her face, but is unable to conceal the frustration and anger in her hazel eyes.

The Johnson couple exchanges a weary look before standing and leaving the room. As she leaves Mrs. Johnson gives Trinity a distasteful look but walks away after Trinity snarls at her.

Not even a second after they are gone Trinity explodes.

"Two months. I've been working on my _solo _routine for two months and then two weeks before the showcase I find out I have a fucking partner! What the hell?!"

"Trinity, you will _not_ speak to me that way! I am your instructor and if I think that your dance will better with a partner than you are _going _to have a partner!" Ms. Nelson shoots back. Trinity flinches at the sound of her usually calm teacher yelling at her. Ms. Nelson massages her temples and begins to paste. "Alejandro is new here. Very new. He just started attending about a few weeks ago. Despite how new he is, he still wanted to be in the showcase. His mother gave me some tapes from some duet performances he did and…Trinity he is _amazing_. I just thought that with his style and the dance you're doing that the two of you would be beautiful on stage."

"So…that's it? Some…_guy _shows up and just because he wanted to be in the show and you liked some of his moves, you decide to _take over _my routine? Do you have _any _idea how hard I've been working on it these past few months? What makes you think I can learn an entire routine in just two weeks?!" Trinity retorts slamming her hands down on Ms. Nelson's desk.

"You aren't going to have to learn an _entirely _new routine. Most of what you have will stay." Ms. Nelson says optimistically. Trinity does not look persuaded, but Ms. Nelson continues anyways. "Alejandro will learn some of your routine and the rest will be you two as a duet."

"You are missing the entire point! I do not _want _to dance a duet with him! I worked on my dance as a solo performance and I want to stay that way!" Trinity says harshly through clenched teeth.

Ms. Nelson's eyes narrow and leans in very close to Trinity's face, almost causing their noses to touch. "Look." She says in a quiet but dangerous tone. "I have had _enough _of your _crap_. Now I don't know who you think are, but I can guarantee you that you are _not _the person in charge of the Showcase. That is who _I_ am. I am your instructor, you are a student. I am an adult, you are a child. If I were you I would _not _argue with me. If I hear _one _more peep out of you about this matter, you are _not_ going to perform at the Winter showcase, or any other functions for that matter, because _you_ will be _banned _from that stage until you learn some respect for me, and for your peers. Do you understand?"

Trinity is trembling with rage. Her fists are clenched so tightly that small trickles of blood are oozing from the small punctures in her skin caused by her nails. Her jaw is clenched tighter than ever. She blinks backs the tears of anger that are stinging in her eyes. "Ugh!" She exclaims, pulling at her hair. Without another word she storms out of the office and down the hall. She re-enters the studio where she finds Alejandro lounging around, he looks up expectantly when he sees Trinity enter.

"Well?" He asked expectantly. Trinity could have sworn she heard a hint of smugness in his voice, causing her to become even more irate if possible.

"Show me what you got." She mumbles simply stepping backwards, giving Alejandro full access to the floor.

Alejandro smiled and Trinity turned away to hide her blushing face. He started the song on the stereo. One of Trinity's personal favorites: Apologize by Timbaland

Trinity folded her arms across her chest and observed with a careful eye, as Alejandro danced…amazingly. She could not decide if she was upset because she had been wrong, which she hates, or if she was happy that he would not ruin the routine and embarrass them both on stage in front of a large audience.

When he was done, Alejandro stopped and looked at Trinity with a smile on his face, this time not even trying to hide the smugness he was feeling. "So how was that?" He asked.

Trinity shrugged. "You're pretty good for someone who's only been doing my routine for a week." Trinity replied. Her phone beeped, notifying her that she had received a new text message. She dug her phone out of her pocket and smiled. It was from Leo. She opened and it read:

**Still coming over for training tonight? You had better not be trying to skip out on me or I WILL come after you. **

Trinity laughed warmly as she read over the message and the anger and frustration faded as it always did when she and Leo spoke.

"Somebody special?" Alejandro asked suddenly causing Trinity's head to jerk up and her smile to fade.

"I believe that falls under the category of none of your business." She says in a stern tone, looking him straight in the eye.

Alejandro chuckled and raised his hands in surrender. "Well excuse me for wanting to get to know my dance partner better. We can't communicate on stage, if we can't communicate off stage. Maybe we should get lunch some time."

"I think the way we're _communicating _is just fine, Alejandro. And, no thanks. Probably not a good idea," Trinity says coolly.

"I think it's a _wonderful _idea." A new voice says. The two turn to see Ms. Nelson standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. Trinity glares at her as their eyes meet for a moment. Ms. Nelson looks her over but then turns her attention to Alejandro.

"Mr. Esperanto, I agree with you. Despite how _difficult_ she may make it, you should try to get to know Trinity more." Ms. Nelson says to him kindly. "Trinity, I would really appreciate it if you did this." That's what her mouth said at least. Her eyes were saying, _Remember what you have on the line here_.

"Fine Alejandro. That's a _wonderful_ idea." Trinity says. But she does not enthusiastic about the idea, and keeps her eyes locked on Ms. Nelson while she speaks.

"Wonderful!" Ms. Nelson says clasping her hands together.

"So why did you _really _agree to go with me to lunch?" Alejandro asks once Ms. Nelson is gone.

Trinity looks at him and scowls. "Let's just go over the duet part." She says impatiently.

Alejandro raises his hands n surrender and nods. He steps closer to Trinity and places his hands on her waist. She immediately withdraws from his grasp. "What the hell are you doing?" She demands.

"Going over the duet." Alejandro replies simply. Trinity relaxes and allows him to grasp her waist again, before he lifts her up into the air effortlessly, instructing on what pose to while he holds her. The two spend the next hour and a half teaching each other parts of the dances. Alejandro informs Trinity of the duet in the middle while Trinity goes over the solo section of the dance.

By the time rehearsal is over and they are making their way out of the studio, the moon and stars illuminate the now black sky, and casts a faint glow over the city. They walk down the hallway in silence before Alejandro speaks up.

"You a very good dancer Trinity." He says sincerely, looking down at her as they walk.

"Thanks…you um…you aren't too bad yourself." She says looking away from him.

"Gracias." He says kindly with a smile. He looks out the window and frowns. "It is very late. Would you like for me to walk you home?"

"I'll be fine. I'm going over to a friends after this." She replies simply, but harshly.

"The one who texted you earlier? The _special _one?" Alejandro asks with a grin on his face.

"Since it's apparently so important to you, _yes _the special one, Alejandro." Trinity says. They stop in front of the locker rooms and Trinity is entering hers when a firm hand on her arm stops her.

"What?" She asks impatiently.

"We never made plans for lunch." Alejandro says with a smile.

Trinity rolls her eyes and holds out her hand. "Gimme your phone." She demands.

Alejandro raises an eyebrow but does not argue and hands her his cell phone. She punches her number in and hands it back to him. "Just call me okay?" She says. She enters the locker room without another word and grabs her things, and puts on her sweater and jeans over her dance. When she exits the room, Alejandro is gone. She digs her phone out of her pocket and dials Leo's number. It rings once before someone answers.

"Hey, Trinity!" He says into the phone. In the background, Trinity can hear Don screaming at Mikey over something breaking in his lab.

"Hey, Leo. Practice is over, should I come down by myself or are you coming up to get me?" She asks. There is no reply from the other line and Trinity face palms. "Right. Stupid question. Lemme rephrase that, what time are you coming up here?"

Leo laughs from the other end of the line and says, "Actually I probably won't be able to. I'm still setting up the dojo for your session later on. Maybe Raph can get you."

"Not to sound picky, but why Raph?" She asks curiously.

"Well I'd tell you to ask April or Casey, but there somewhere on a bench in Central Park trying to swallow each other and Donnie and Mikey are um…_occupied_ at the moment." Leo says. with a small laugh.

"Well in that case, I'll call Raph. If I'm waiting for one of the others to come and me, I'm _probably _gonna be here for a while." Trinity jokes.

"Yeah, I had to learn that hard way. Very long story. Don't ask." Leo says. "So how'd practice go?"

Trinity sighed. "Horrible. Absolutely the worst practice, _ever_. My instructor took it upon herself to "modify" my dance routine for the showcase. She gave me a partner. _ Alejandro_" Trinity says.

On the other end of the line Leo's eyes widen behind his mask and the smile he had on his face falters at the sound of Alejandro's name. "Oh…well…come on, it can't be _that_ bad can it?" He says forcing optimism into his voice.

Trinity giggles. "If he wasn't so sexy looking it would be." She says with a small laugh. "Anyways, I'll spare you and save my "cute guy" crap for April and Lana. See you later on, okay?"

"Yeah…see you later." Leo says quietly.

Trinity hangs up and dials Raph's number, after several rings he finally answers.

"Who are you, what do you want, and why did you wake me up from my nap?" Says a voice half muffled, and so groggy that is it barely recognizable.

Trinity's brow furrows at the sound of the low pitched, gruff voice. "Raph?" She asks.

"No. The Easter bunny. _Yes_ it's me, and I'll tell ya what, you better be _dying _right now. Rule one about me new girl: If you wake me up from my nap you better have a damn good reason."

"Noted. Don't bother Raphie during his nappy time. Anyways Leo said to see if you could swing by and get me from my dance studio."

"Why _me_?" Raph whines into the phone tiredly.

"Well Don is trying to kill Mikey and April and Casey are out on a date. Leo said that he's still getting the dojo set up for me. So that leaves you cranky. Now get your ass outta bed and come get me."

"Alright, alright fine. I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't move from where you are." Raph says sternly, not sounding as tired as he did before.

"Awww, you care about my safety." Trinity teases.

"Actually I just don't feel like getting strangled by Fearless because I let his girlfriend get jumped by thugs. But yeah, that too." Raph says.

Trinity laughs and says, "Well aren't you a little ball of sunshine! And Leo is _not _my boyfriend!" She yells into the speaker before hanging up before Raph can get another word in.

She paces the hallway listening to her iPod before hearing a loud engine sounds from outside of the building. She looks out the window and a smile spreads across her face, as she rushes outside.

She finds herself standing in front of a sleek, shiny, crimson red motorcycle. Sitting on it, is a muscular figure clad in black leather, and a black helmet that covers his face. His leather gloves only have three large in them.

"No….freaking…WAY!" Trinity says giddily. "This thing is _yours?" _

The black-clad rider nods. "Donnie found it at the dump, and turned it into this. That braniac can _really _work some miracles." Raph said with a smile that is hidden by his helmet. He held out a helmet for Trinity and she took it from him, looking at her grinning reflection in the smooth material.

"You gonna keep waiting all night, or are you gonna get on?" Raph asks crossing his arms. Trinity grins and squeals before putting the helmet on. She mounts onto the pillion side and wraps her head around Raph's waist squeezing tightly.

Before she can give him any signal that she is ready, the motorcycle revs loudly, Raph turns the accelerator, and Trinity screams as she almost loses her grip on Raph. She squeezes tighter and squeezes her eyes shut.

"I kinda need ta be able to breathe if I'm gonna drive this thing!" He yells at her,

"I kinda need to be able to have a tight grip if I'm not gonna die!" She shouts back at him.

"Just _relax_. If you can free run, you get through this." Raph says as he continues. Trinity swallows and slightly loosens her grip on Raph. She relaxes slightly and opens her eyes, and gasps.

The sight was beautiful. The neon city lights, the stars, the moon. It all looked fascinating through the tinted view of her helmet as she drove by at lightning speed. She smiled a little and tossed her head back with a laugh.

Raph and Trinity continue riding before they head towards a subway tunnel.

"Um…Raph..." Trinity says wearily.

Grinning evilly under his helmet Raph ignores her and accelerates. Lifting the bike into the air over the stairs. Trinity's stomach does somersaults inside her, before they land roughly on the pavement, only to make another leap onto the tracks, where they speed down the tunnel.

There is a sudden bright light from behind them and then a train whistle. At that exact moment, Trinity's blood drains from her face. "Train!"

Raph seems to ignore her as he accelerates a little, as the train gets closer. The train continues to gain on them.

_I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die._ Trinity repeated to herself in her head. But when it looks like they are both going to be flattened by the accelerating train, Raph makes a sudden turn, into a dark narrow tunnel.

The tunnel is pitch black until he turns his head lights which are, of course, red. They are speeding towards a dead end. A brick wall that will destroy the bike and engulf both of them in flames.

Trinity's eyes widen and she screams as the get closer to the wall. Keeping her eyes closed the entire time.

She braces herself to die for the third time since she has the turtles, but right before they crash into the wall, Raph pushes a small button on the end of one of the handles on the motorcycle and the wall opens up, and he pulls into the garage.

Trinity, oblivious to this, continues screaming even though the bike has stopped.

At the sound of her screaming, Leo, Mikey, Don and Master Splinter enter the garage where they find Raph and Trinity sitting on the stationary bike in the garage. Trinity still screaming in terror.

"SHADDAP WE STOPPED!" Raph yells finally.

Trinity's screaming comes to a halt and she sits up, opens her eyes and scan the room where she finds Don and Mikey laughing hysterically, Master Splinter massaging his temples and muttering in Japanese, and Leo who has a faint look of pain on his face when he sees her.

She takes off her helmet and climbs off the bike breathing heavily.

"What…the heck…is….WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!" She says clutching her heart. "Would it _kill _you to find a mode of transportation that won't almost kill _me_?!"

"Why whatever do you mean by unsafe, my dear?" Donnie says dramatically.

Noting his sarcasm and deciding to retort anyways Trinity says, "Roof jumping, driving away from speeding trains, heading towards brick wall at lightning speed! What's next?! _Jet packs_ powered by the same fuel NASA uses?"

"As soon as I get that cleared with NASA." Donnie says with a grin on his face.

"Awesome, bro!" Mikey says high-fiving his genius, purple clad brother.

Trinity just rolls her eyes. "You guys," She says pointing to all of them. "Are gonna be the death me! I just know it. When I'm dead, I leave all my stuff to Casey, April, Lana and Master Splinter. The _only _one in your family who isn't insane!"

Master Splinter chuckles to himself and places a hand on Trinity's arm. "Thank you. Ms. Love. After having to endure the horrors of _raising _them my still having my sanity is something I am very grateful for."

"Believe me; I give you props for that." She says with a smile. Her smile fades and she groans. "Ugh, first _Alejandro _now I almost killed on a motorcycle. What's next?" She mutters as she storms out of the garage and into the dojo.

Leo's head snaps up at the sound of Alejandro's name. There is a pained look on his face before he turns away to conceal it as Trinity walks by.

"Uh-oh. _Alejandro_. _That _doesn't sound too good, does it now Leo." Mikey teases with a smile. Raph glares at him and slaps him in the back of his head.

"I mean…um…maybe he's her cousin or something ." Mikey says rubbing the back of his head grimacing at Raph.

"Yeah, Mikey could right." Don says optimistically. "But then again that doesn't happen very often…"

"Hey!"

"Thanks for the um, _support_ guys. But I gotta go, Trinity's waiting for me." Leo says glaring at his brothers before leaving to meet Trinity in the dojo.

"Way to go Mikey, you handled that _really _well." Raph mutters taking off his helmet and setting it on a nearby shelf.

Mikey was about to protest when Master Splinter holds up a hand. "Relax my sons, in time, Leonardo will be back to himself soon enough." He says. "Perhaps, even better if get what he desires."

* * *

Inside the dojo, Trinity is looking around with a confused look on her face. The dojo is lit with a lot of small candles and on the training mat, are two smaller ones facing each other. She looks back at Leo and raises an eyebrow.

"What's all this for?" She asks observing the room. A peaceful feeling fills her, and grows stronger as she stays in the room.

"Figured I'd give you a break from physical ninjitsu training." Leo says guiding her towards the mats, where he sits down lotus style.

"And this is…what exactly?" She asks him as she mimics him, sitting in the same position.

"This more for your mind and soul." Leo says. "It's called meditating. It's supposed to relax you."

"So…I don't get to hit you this time?" Trinity asks with mock disappointment. She giggles and a smile spreads across her face. "I was looking forward to that."

Leo rolls his eyes and ignores her. "This will be pretty simple. You just sit there, clear your mind and relax. Don't let anything distract you." Leo says.

"I would say that's easy, but with Mikey running around, not being distracted is going to be _very _difficult." Trinity jokes.

"Which is exactly why you have to block out _everything_." Leo says gently. "Now close your eyes."

Trinity obeys him and closes her eyes. Almost immediately, she feels more relaxed. She clears her mind and for a few moments, absolutely nothing is on her mind. That is until there is a smacking sound in front of her. Her eyes open and she tumbles back in shock and finds Leo standing above her with his hands clasped together.

"What happened?" Trinity asks looking around.

"You lost focus; that's what happened. I thought I told you to block out all thoughts." Leo says sternly.

Trinity flinches at his tone, but brushes it off and sits in a lotus position again. "Sorry, I'll try harder this time." She says cautiously looking him over. He simply nods and Trinity closes her eyes again. She keeps her breathing steady, and manages to clear her mind again. There is once again another clapping sound in front of her. She stiffens, but does not break posture, and continues meditating.

Leo makes a sound that might be him approving and then everything is silent after that. Suddenly something pokes her sides and she yelps before tipping over. She looks up and finds Leo and finds Leo…_glaring _down at her.

"Sorry about that…I'll try…

Her voice falters when she sees the stern look on his face. "Leo," She asks standing up. "Are you…are you okay? You seem…tense." She says stepping towards him cautiously.

"I'm fine…it's nothing." He says waving her off. He said he was fine, but Trinity was able to detect a faint bitter tone in his voice, turning away from her.

"You don't seem okay." She says crossing her arms across her chest. "Are you upset about something?"

"Trinity, I said I'm fine!" He yells. His eyes widen in shock and disgust at himself as he realizes what he has done. He does not turn to face her, dreading the look of pain, shock or anger he has caused to form on her face.

"Hey, don't yell at me okay! I'm only trying to find out why you're acting like an asshole! I mean, _really! _What crawled up your shell and _died_?!" Trinity shoots back at him, glaring a hole through the back of his head as he refuses to look at her. She sees him stiffen and his shoulders slump a little and immediately Trinity feels guilty. Seeing as how, Leo does not normally act like this, she felt bad for immediately yelling at him without even considering that something serious might be bothering him.

"Oh God…oh God, Leo I'm sorry…I didn't mean that. I just-

"No, you're right…I'm…I'm just in a bad mood right now. _I_'_m _sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way." Leo lies. He is lying about why he is upset, and he is lying about how Trinity's words did not feel like a dagger to the heart. He feels a gentle hand on his arm and he is turned so that he is face to face Trinity. Her eyes are filled gentleness and kindness, and a small smile is on her face.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, but um…whatever it is…you'll get through it. Should we cut this one short?" She asks.

"Uh…maybe…I need some time to think…I have _a lot _on my mind." Leo says quietly.

"Sometime to think about what?" Trinity inquires.

Leo looks at her hardly and asks, "Trinity…what do you do when you want something…something you've wanted your _entire _life, something you thought you would have almost _no _chance of ever getting. But when you think the opportunity comes around…after spending so much time wanting it…you're too scared to go after it?"

Trinity did not hesitate before answering. "That's easy. You suck it up and go after it. Because…this opportunity you're talking about…you never know if you'll get it again."

"But…what if things don't turn out the way you plan?" Leo asks.

"What if they do?" Trinity counters. "I would rather look back and say I had the guts to go after the opportunity than I would look back and see it as one big, _what if_. If I were you, I'd get rid of that "_what if_" and take my chances."

"And what if someone else could take that chance before you're able to?" Leo asks trying to sound subtle.

"Well how important is to you that you get this opportunity, Leo?" Trinity asks crossing her arms.

Leo looks up at her and smiles. "Very. Very important."

"Then in that case, you better act fast." Trinity says simply with a smile. "It sounds like you have _a lot _on your mind right now so I'm gonna give you some time to yourself okay?"

Leo nods and Trinity gives him a hug, standing on her toes so her arms can wrap around his neck. "Good luck with…whatever it is your dealing with right now. Hope everything turns out the way you want it to."

Leo sighs and returns Trinity's hug. Wrapping his arms around her waist gently, but firmly. "Yeah…me too."

They fall silent and continue hugging for a few moments before they realize they have not released each other yet. They both blush and depart from each other awkwardly.

"Thanks for the advice, Trinity. Kinda makes what I'm going through bit easier. It meant a lot coming from you." Leo says looking down at her kindly.

Trinity nods. "Glad I could help out." She replies in a warm voice. She turns to leave the dojo, but looks back. "Hey Leo," She calls after him. He looks back and she smiles brightly. "If you ever need to talk…you know where to find me." She winks and with that, she leaves the dojo. She goes to the living pit and joins Don and Raph on the couch where they are watching Mikey play Dead Island on the Play Station 3 Casey and April got Hamato family last Christmas.

"Watcha doin out here?" Mikey asked Trinity without even looking at her. "DIE ZOMBIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Trinity shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Leo wasn't really in the mood for training. He said he had a lot on his mind and it was seriously stressing him out. We deiced to take this night off and pick up next time." Trinity says grabbing a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl in Raph's hands.

"Huh, that's not like Leo. Usually when he trains, he's totally into it. And since _you're _training with him, he should be _extra _focused on what he's doing." Mikey says; his eyes glued to the screen. "WOOHOO! EAT MY OAR YOU UNDEAD SON OF A BITCH!"

"I know but I guess he was just wasn't really into it and….wait, what do you mean since I'm around?" Trinity asks looking at Mikey.

Raph and Don exchange grins but say nothing as they turn their attention back to screen an watch as Mikey tries to fight off a massive mob of undead beach goers. "No! There's too many of them! I can't go out like this! I'm too sexy to die!"

"Hello? I asked a question. Could you stop focusing on that for a second and answer me Mikey?" Trinity asks in a strained voice.

"Dude! My brains about to be eaten by some dead chick in a bikini and you wanna talk about the crush Leo has on you?! That can wait! I'm _busy _right now!" Mikey says as he continues swinging his oar uselessly at the zombies on the screen.

"Oh for the love of- GIMME THAT!" Trinity yells. She leans across Don and Raph's laps, and snatches the controller from Mikey. She pushes several buttons and there is a loud boom, and blood curdling screams as Mikey's character tosses a grenade into the mob of zombies, therefore clearing his path.

Mikey looks at Trinity with his mouth in the shape of a perfect O, and his eyes bulging behind his bright orange mask. "Dude! I don't have any grenades! How the hell did you do that!"

"Grenade cheat. Duh. How can you play Dead Island and not know the grenade cheat?" Trinity says returning the controller to a dumbfounded Mikey.

"Now what's this about Leo and a crush on me?" Trinity asks Mikey.

Oblivious to the warning looks he is receiving from his brothers because he is too busy trying to mimic the cheat used to save him from the zombies, Mikey says, "Oh yeah, he totally has the hots for you. You aren't gonna get to admit it though. None of us can. He's too much of a baby. What was that cheat you used?" Mikey asks her.

Trinity rolls her eyes and sighs. "R1, L2, Triangle, Square, Circle, Triangle, L1, X." She says in one breath. Mikey repeats the cod to himself as he punches in the code and smiles happily as another boom sounds, and an explosion cloud appears on the screen.

"Sweet!" He says.

"Mikey could you just- Oh screw it, Don what's he talking about?!" Trinity says turning to Don and glaring at him, demanding an answer.

"Uh…COMING MASTER SPLINTER!" Don says, taking off before Trinity can stop him.

"Hey! Get back here! NO ONE CALLED YOU!"

Trinity crosses her arms and sits back down on the couch with her arms folded and looks at Raph. "You gonna run off too?" She asks him.

Raph sighs, "All I'm gonna say is this, he _really _cares about ya. It's not like with April. He sees her as a sister. You on the other hand are different."

Trinity nods, taking everything in. "So…what do I do?" She asks looking at Raph. It was pretty bizarre for her. She never thought she would find herself asking Raph of all people what to do about someone having a crush on her.

"Do what you want. _I'm_ not in charge of that." He says bluntly standing up and stretching. "Just…whatever you do…don't hurt him. Please." Raph says in a very soft tone, that he very rarely uses. Trinity hugs herself and nods.

Raph pats her on the shoulder awkwardly and then walks away leaving only her and Mikey in the pit. Trinity sighs sadly sits back on the couch crossing her arms across her chest.

She does not realize that Mikey has stopped playing the game until he appears right next to her.

"I'm not giving you another cheat." She mumbles looking straight ahead.

Mikey chuckles and says, "No worries babe. I'm good with the grenade one. Knowing too many will take the fun out of it. I just wanted so asks…could you not mention to Leo that _I _told you about this? I get in more trouble than anyone else because I'm the annoying one. Pin it on Don, Raph or Casey. That way, I get spared."

Trinity rolls her eyes and laughs, "My lips are sealed Mikey." Trinity says making a zipping motion across her lips with her thumb and forefinger. Mikey releases a relieved sigh and crushes her in a hug before returning to his game as nothing had ever happened.

Trinity gets up and goes to the kitchen where she finds Master Splinter there drinking tea. He looks up when she enters and smiles warmly.

"Hi Master Splinter. Whatcha doin in here?" Trinity asks sitting down across from him.

"Just thought I would get a cup of tea, that and I got tired of watching Michelangelo slay undead, people in swimsuits with oars and broken broomsticks. That boy has too much free time." Master Splinter says taking a sip of his tea.

Trinity laughs a little and nods in agreement. "So…why do I have a feeling that you know about Leo's…_feelings_?" Trinity asks. "I just have this feeling that you're one of those people who somehow knows about _everything_." She says looking at him.

Master Splinter smiles and says, "When your only escape from your hectic life of having for boys is soap operas you learn a few things."

Trinity smiles at that but her smile disappears as quickly as it formed. A warm comforting hand is placed over hers and she looks up to find herself looking Master Splinter in his eyes. It was the first time she has ever paid any attention to them. They were a stormy gray color. They were soft and kind as they looked at her.

"Leonardo cares for you very much, child. I am sure that whatever decision you make, that is not going to change. Ever" He says giving her hand a comforting squeeze before leaving her alone in the kitchen.

Trinity lets her head drop into her arms, which are folded on the table, and moans as she lets the information she has learned sink in.

She does not want to hurt Leo, she could never, would never, hurt him.

But she knows that no matter what she does, she will. She would be lying if she said that she did not feel the same way about him. Beneath the green skin and the shell was the man she had been dreaming about being with for a while now; the noble, honorable, respectful, kind-hearted man that only seemed to exist in fairy tales. She thinks of the person Leo is, and then the person she is. The person who yells at her teacher, has a ridiculously short temper, and would throw a tantrum over the silliest things. The person who for these reasons could never keep a boyfriend for more than a few months.

_Do I even deserve him? _She thinks to herself. She sighs again. Telling herself that she should avoid a romantic relationship with Leo, not only because she does not deserve him, but because she does not want, to be another man's mistake.

* * *

**(A/N): PHEW! That was tiring, FUN, but tiring. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this! If ya did, stop by the review box on your way out and leave a review telling me your thoughts. Any suggestions, and CC is welcome too. Until next time! Later!**


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N): So sorry about the huge delay on this guys, it was a VERY busy week for me. But that's in the past, and it is now time for me to thank my reviewers! HUGE thank you to: Livangel16, Kimmie98, oxCuteKataraox, TMNTfan95, bell-13-tmnt-lover, IceColdFever, and I Love Kittens Too. Love you guys! Now on with the story! **

**Disclaimer: All OC are mine, TMNT is not.**

* * *

"Shine bright like a diamond! Shine bright like a diamond! Shine bright like diamond! We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky!"

Trinity sings along loudly to the song blaring from her speakers as she steps out of the shower, soaking wet and smelling of lemons. She dries off and wraps the towel around her body as she leaves the bathroom still singing loudly. "So shine bright, tonight! You and I! We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky!"

"Hey, Trinity!"

Startled, Trinity comes to a halt and screams loudly. She grabs the weapon closest to her, an umbrella she had carelessly tossed in the corner one night and swings in the direction of the voice she heard.

"Whoa, chill, dudette it's just me!"

Trinity is stopped in mid-swing, by two firm hands on top of hers.

"Mikey?!" She exclaims dropping her hands.

"The one and only baby!" Mikey replies with a large smile. Rather than return it, Trinity slaps him hardly on the back of the head.

"You! Scared! The! Crap! Out! Of! Me!" She says, hitting him with each word she yells. Before she is able to hit him again he seizes her wrist in a tight grip, a few inches away from his face.

"Hey! Chill out! I didn't mean to." Mikey says innocently. Trinity scowls at him and snatches her hands back muttering curses as she walks away.

"How did you even get in here?!" She says as she walks towards her bedroom.

"Well I knocked, but you didn't answer so I picked the lock on your window." Mikey says simply, oblivious to the glare Trinity is giving him.

"You, broke in?! What the hell was so important that you had to break into my apartment to tell me?" She asks tapping her foot on the floor.

"My bros, Master Splinter, April, Casey and I were all going to head out to the farmhouse this weekend for some R&R. We just wanted to know if you wanted to tag along." Mikey says with a friendly smile.

"And you couldn't wait to tell me that until I was able to _invite _you in and I wasn't _naked_?" Trinity asks, though it is not a question as much as it is a blunt annoyed statement.

"How was I supposed to know you weren't naked? I'm a ninja not a psychic! But that would be pretty cool though…I'd be like Professor X! " Mikey says excitedly. He clears his throat and begins doing his best interpretation of Patrick Stewart. "X-Men! Cerebro has detected a very powerful mutant in New York! He is known as, Michelangelo! We _must _recruit him! Without his awesomeness on our side, we will never be able to defeat Magneto's forces!"

Trinity opens her mouth to reply but instead, just closes it back and shakes her head, rolling her eyes in the process.

"So, back to the question. You wanna come?" Mikey asks eagerly, as if he had never done anything out of the ordinary.

Trinity sighs says, "Can we please continue this conversation when I have clothes on?"

Mikey sighs dramatically and rolls his eyes. "Fiiiiine. But hurry up! Girls always take long with this kind of stuff." Mikey says plopping down on the arm of the couch and grabbing the remote. Trinity allows herself a small laugh before walking away. She enters her bedroom to get dressed and in less than five minutes, she emerges dressed in her pajamas, a tank top, and house boots.

When she comes back into the living room, she finds that Mikey made no hesitation to make himself at home. He was lounging on the couch, watching TV, munching on a bag of barbeque chips he had helped himself to while she was gone.

Trinity shakes her head and walks over to him, plopping down on his ankles. Upon feeling the extra weight on his legs Mikey looks up in surprise before shrugging and lying back down. He kicks both of his legs up, propelling Trinity a few inches off the couch and swiftly moves his legs off the couch before she comes back down.

She looks at him and smiles. "_That _was cool. It must be fun being a ninja." She says leaning back and crossing her arms.

Mikey grinned at her and shrugged. "It has its perks." He says with a wink. "So! Farmhouse. You coming or what?"

Trinity's smile turns into a thoughtful look. "I dunno, I mean…I wouldn't be intruding or anything? I've only known guys for a few weeks. It wouldn't be weird having me there since I'm so…_new_?"

"Intruding? You were at movie night! That's like, initiation for us! Once you've been to movie night, you're one of us! Besides, I know a certain someone who wouldn't mind having _you _tag along." Mikey teases, poking Trinity in her sides.

She giggles and scoots away from him, and soon her laughter died down. Ever since she found out about the crush Leo had on her, thinking about him was not easy as it had been before. It pained her, rather than bought her joy. She always recalls Raphael's words to her from a few nights ago,

_"Just…whatever you do…don't hurt him. Please."_

Trinity sighs and hangs her head sadly. "I dunno Mikey, it'd be _awkward_. I know something that I'm not supposed to know, but I _do _know, but I still have to act like I _don't _know, which is gonna be hard because I _do _know, and I don't know what to do…you know?" Trinity looked at Mikey desperately pleading for support or any advice.

"Um…no?" Mikey offers jokingly with a sheepish smile.

"Mikey!" Trinity whines hitting with a pillow. "I'm _serious _what am I gonna do?!" She asks pleadingly again.

Mikey sighs. "You _really _came to the wrong turtle for this, Trinity. But If I were you, I would let him know that you know…what he thinks you don't know…." Mikey says, his voice faltering. "Man, try saying that five times fast." He says giggling. He looks over at Trinity who is glaring back at him and sobers up.

"Look, it'll be easier for you both if you just confess to him that you know and tell him the truth. The longer you keep it from him, the weirder it's gonna get being around him. If _you _ don't bring it up, Leo sure as hell isn't gonna do it." Mikey says in a serious tone.

Trinity nods and sighs. The two are silent for a moment before Mikey asks, "So…have you made a decision yet?"

"Yeah, sure why not. What time will you guys be leaving for the farmhouse?" Trinity asks looking at Mikey.

"Um…I was actually talking about Leo…" Mikey says cautiously. Trinity looks up at him throws her hands up helplessly. She has been trying to avoid giving too much thought about what she as going to do regarding her current situation with the blue-banded turtle. To her, it seems as if no matter what decision she made, someone would get hurt. She knew that if she rejected him she would devastate him and probably ruin their friendship, but on the other hand, she could take her own advice and go after him, even if she felt that the relationship between the two would only lead to ultimate disaster.

So many times before, she had been told how dating her had been a mistake, and how she needed to clean up her act or she would ruin every relationship she ever had. She had not just heard this from ex-boyfriends, but from her friends, her mother, and one point, even Melody.

"I…I…I dunno actually…" Trinity says staring at her feet, as her eyes started filling with tears. "Could we…could we not talk about this right now?"

Mikey nods understandingly and changes the subject. "So, you're gonna _love _the farmhouse! It's like, _miles _away from any other civilization so we _a lot_ of space to ourselves, there's snow everywhere, and the house is _huge_! When we first got there was a piece of crap, but we fixed it up over time and now, it's like a lodge! Well…a cheap lodge…"

Trinity listens as Mikey continues to go on about the farmhouse and all of the fun times he and the others have had together while there. As she listens, Trinity actually began to get a little excited for her trip to the farmhouse, but was still unable to shake the pained feeling in her heart about Leo.

* * *

April descends the stairs with her suitcase lugging behind her. She, Casey, the Hamato's, and now Trinity were going to be leaving for the farmhouse in just a few hours. While she was happy that she there was finally another female she could spend time with while at the farmhouse, she also dreaded the ride down there, which seemed as if it was doing to be stress inducing with Raphael's somewhat, female counterpart coming along. "This is gonna be a, long, ride." She says as she reaches the bottom of the stairs.

Suddenly, the door flies open and Trinity rushes in, snowflakes covering her head and black coat, dragging a suitcase behind her. It had been a couple nights since she agreed to join in on the group's trip to the farmhouse. She was told to be at April's place at 7:00 so they all could beat traffic.

"Hot chocolate. Now. Freezing to death. _Hurry_." She says shivering as she sits down on the coach, wrapping herself in a blanket.

April laughs at the young woman and shakes head as she heads off to the kitchen. "Well hello to you, Frosty. Ever heard of knocking?" April asks as she pours some left over hot water on the kettle into a mug.

"Apparently knocking isn't a thing with you guys." Trinity responds standing up and walking into the kitchen with the blanket still wrapped around her body.

April laughs and nods understandingly. "I see one of the guys broke into your house and caught you walking out of the shower. Welcome to the family, kiddo." April says pouring a packet of hot chocolate in the mug and sliding it over to Trinity.

"Is that…is that _normal_?" Trinity asks, a look off appall on her face.

"Well it _was_. They kinda…you know forgot I'm female. Don't worry after a while you get used to it." April says brushing a snowflake off Trinity's coat with a smile.

Trinity was about to respond, and express how she was against the idea of being caught naked by a ninja turtle every other day off the week, but before she could speak, loud, clumsy footsteps came down the stairs as Casey came into view. Two small bags were held tightly under his armpits, another swung over his shoulder, and another in his hands.

When he reaches the bottom of the stairs he carelessly let the bags fall and goes into the kitchen where he collapses on a stool at the island next to Trinity. He looks up at April and narrows his eyes.

"I _really _gotta stop buying you shoes." Casey says in an exasperated tone.

"You wouldn't have to if you didn't get in trouble with me all the time." April says with a smirk.

"I _don't_ get in trouble, you just overreact to everything." Casey mutters under breath, but unfortunately for him April hears anyways. Rather than respond, she just stifles a laugh and shakes her head. She makes eye contact with Trinity when Casey is not looking and mouths, _I'll get him later_, before winking.

Trinity covers her mouth with her hand to hide to her grin. A gust of cold wind fills the room, and the three humans torn to find the window open and four bulky figures dressed in heavy clothing enter the room. Trinity almost screams but bites her tongue when one of the figures tosses off his many layers of clothing, revealing the green turtle who was hidden under them.

"Cold, cold, cold, cold." He says shivering. His eyes dart around the room, full of alarm. They widen when they land on Trinity's mug. "Warm!" He cries merrily.

Before she can blink, Trinity finds Mikey right beside her gulping down _her _hot chocolate greedily.

"Hey!" She yells irately slapping him in the arm. Mikey sets his mug down and looks her in the eye. Trinity notices for the first time since they entered the apartment that they did not have their mask on. So she now finds herself, staring into Mikey's baby blue eyes for the first time since meeting them.

"I'm a _reptile _woman! That means I'm _cold-blooded_! I need this more than you do!" He hisses at her. He goes back to gulping the warm liquid as Trinity watches in anger. "Stupid mammals…don't know how good they have it…" He mutters into his cup, arousing a small laugh from Don.

"You know," April says holding herself tightly and shivering. "The entire point of you guys wearing disguises is so you _don't _have to come on through the window."

"Doors are no fun." Don says simply with a shrug off his shoulders.

"Apparently neither is knocking." Trinity mutters to herself glancing at Mikey who is directing all of his attention to drinking his hot chocolate.

"Where's Master Splinter?" Casey asks noticing the lack of the turtle's father.

"He's in the battle shell." Leo says suddenly speaking up after being silent the entire time. Trinity looks up and looks at him for a moment. She gives him a small smile before turning away.

"So," She asks deciding to find another topic to dwell on. "What's the battle shell?"

"It's kind of how we get around. We um "borrowed" it from some Purple Dragons once upon a time." Don says with a smirk. "I don't wanna brag but I will anyway. It's probably one of the _coolest _things you will _ever _ride in. I built myself."

"By _cool_ do you mean, _terrifying _and _deadly_? Because I thought Raph's motorcycle was _cool _until we were almost hit over by a train." Trinity says glaring at Raph. Raph just rolls his eyes and groans.

"We were _not _gonna get hit by that train. Leo would've kicked my ass to Jersey if I let something happen to ya." Raph says jokingly. Leo blushes, while his brothers and Trinity exchange glances and force themselves to laugh.

Leo looks at them with confusion but just shrugs. "Well we should all get going. I'd rather us not get stuck in traffic."

Everyone murmurs in agreement and disperses. April grabs her single suitcase and leaves the room. Casey glares after her as he struggles to get all of her extra luggage. "Damn women and their damn shoes…" He mutters as he walks past Raph, who snickers at him, as he starts after him teasing him along the way. Don and Mikey leave the room next, leaving Leo and Trinity alone.

"Is it always like this when you guys go to the farmhouse?" Trinity asks him with a small laugh.

"Nah, normally April brings twice as much luggage." Leo says. He grabs Trinity's suitcase and hefts it over his shoulder effortlessly. Trinity laughs and the two begin to descend the stairs to meet the others. For what seems like ages, they walk together in silence, stiffening whenever they make contact.

"So what do you usually do when you guys go to the farmhouse?" Trinity asks as they enter the Antique shop.

Leo shrugs as they leave through the door, where April locks it behind them. "We usually just…relax. It's become kind of like our place to just go and forget everything. It started out as simply being a place for refuge but overtime it became our second home." He says as they make their way outside and towards the Battle Shell.

From the outside, the Battle Shell looks like a regular moving van. A semi with a logo reading, TORTUGA BROS MOVING SINCE 1984, written on the side in bold, orange letters.

Trinity raises an eyebrow at it and gives Leo a questioning look. In return he just smiles and guides her to the back of the trailer where he opens it to put her luggage away.

Leo tosses Trinity's bag in the back of the Battle Shell and she gasps "Wow," She breathes looking around the trailer. It looked like something the military would use.

The walls of the trailer are covered with extra weapons, medical supplies, grappling hooks, smoke bombs and several different controls. There are four cushioned chairs inside, and a bench is on either of the walls. There is even a medium sized, flat TV screen built into the wall. There are other miscellaneous objects decorating the trailer. Comic books, blueprints, weight sets and books decorate the shelves and walls of the small trailer.

"DON'T TOUCH _ANYTHING_! THERE IS A CHANCE IT WILL EXPLODE YOUR FACE AND IF IT DOES, YOU WILL SUFFER BY MY HAND! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!" Donnie calls from outside.

"GOT IT!" Trinity calls back. She regards Master Splinter with a kind smile and a nod, which he returns.

"I am pleased that you were able to join us Trinity." He says in the same, kind, warm tone, he always uses when he speaks.

"Thank you for having me, Master Splinter. I could use the open space and relaxation." She says with a smile.

From outside the Battle Shell, there is a girly scream and the sound of Raph screaming after Mikey in anger.

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BITCH! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!" His irate booms.

Mikey screams again before his shriek is cut short. A few seconds later, he is flying into the back of the Battle Shell, where he lands in a heap on the floor. Leo yanks Trinity out of the way before Mikey is able to collide with her. She is pressed against him tightly with his hands on the small of her back, and hers resting on his shoulders. "Thanks." She says quietly.

For the very first time since they met, Trinity finds herself staring into Leo's eyes. Not the white slits on his mask, but his dark, chocolate brown eyes. Her breath hitches when she sees them.

From behind them, someone clears their throat and they turn to find everyone smirking at them. The two jump apart from each other and turn away awkwardly, while the others snicker.

"Well then! Let's get going while the highway is traffic jam free shall we?" April asks clasping her hands together.

"She's right. Last time we got stuck in a traffic jam, Mikey had just finished eating five burritos. I ain't puttin' up wit that again. We barely survived that." Raph says gruffly as he steps into the trailer followed by his brothers.

"I find it amazing that you've been able to travel with them like this multiple times without yanking your fur out." Trinity whispers to Master Splinter.

"You and I both." Master Splinter mutters loud enough for Trinity earning a small laugh from her.

With a sigh, he joins his sons in the trailer, as Mikey and Raph begin arguing with each other. Leo just looks up at them and shakes his head, before grabbing a book and finding his page. Don tunes them out with his iPod.

April smiles at her adopted younger brothers and shakes her head as she closes the doors and locks them.

Once the two women are gone, Raph, Mikey and Don drop what they are doing and turn to Leo, who is oblivious to the teasing grins they are giving him.

After a few moments, Leo instinctively looks up and upon finding them staring at him, drops his book in his lap and exhales in an exasperated tone. "Okay, let's go ahead and get this over with." He groans as he sits up.

"Dude, you are _really _stupid. Just _ask _the girl out already! This is becoming torture for everyone!" Mikey cries throwing his hands up in the air.

"Guys, Trinity is just my friend." Leo says in a stern voice as he glares at his brothers.

"Yeah, your friend with no benefits." Raph says causing Leo's face to turn red.

"Ha! Good one, my son!" Master Splinter says out of nowhere. Everyone stares at him with looks of shock on their faces and he clears his throat before. "I mean…" He raises his walking stick and hits Raphael in the back of the head. "Raphael, that was a very disrespectful thing to say!"

Raph hisses in pain as he rubs the back of his skull, muttering curses as Mikey and Don laugh hysterically.

Leo just rolls his eyes. "What _is _it with you guys? Why does it matter to you so much that I'm not dating Trinity?"

"Because it's what you want! And our duty as your little brothers, is to make sure you get it. We're just giving you the little the push you need. Besides, you might as well go ahead and go after her; it's not exactly a secret anymore." Mikey's eyes widen and he clasps his hand over his mouth in shock, upon hearing the words he meant to keep in his mouth.

"_What_?" Leo asks in a dangerous voice, as a look of anger clouds his face.

"You are so dead." Don says to Mikey from behind him.

"Dead indeed. Nice knowin' ya bro." Raph says patting Mikey on the shell as Leo stalks closer to him.

"She _knows_?!" Leo bellows irately.

Rather than shrink away, Mikey's breaks into a huge grin and his eyes light up. "You _do _like her! It's about time you admitted to it!" Mikey says holding his hand up for a high-hive.

Leo's eye twitches and he emits a strangled cry before tacking Mikey to ground, starting a scuffle on the floor.

"Why. Did. You. Tell her?!" Leo demands, hitting Mikey with a pillow from one of the chairs mercilessly.

"I didn't mean to! It slipped out!" Mikey blurted out in his defense as he dodging another swipe from the pillow.

"It _slipped_ ?!" Leo bellows furiously as he delivers another blow with the pillow.

Don raises his hand and waves it around to get Leo's attention. Leo turns his way, still wearing a scowl in his face.

"In his defense, he was in the, Dead Zone. You know how Mikey gets when he's in the Dead Zone." Don says reasonably, earning a look of thanks from Mikey.

Leo sighs in frustration and sits down on a chair, burying his face in his hands. Mikey exhales in relief and Leo looks up glaring at him. "Oh _you _are not off the hook! I'm still gonna kill you. I'm just waiting until we get to the farmhouse so I'll have room to use my katanas!"

Mikey's looks of relief was replaced with fear and discomfort as he gulps, and shifts in his seat.

"So when did she find out?" Leo asks no one in particular, leaning back and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Not too long ago!" Mikey says perky hoping to reassure his brother, "Just since the other night."

"Shut up! I'm still gonna kill you!" Leo snarls pointing at Mikey, who whimpers and shrinks back a little. He tries to hide behind Raph who just scoots away and pushes Mikey onto the floor.

"Oh come on Leo, it's not she's gonna hate you or anything. She knows and she's been acting perfectly fine around you!" Mikey says getting to his feet and giving Raph a harsh glare. "Besides, you never know she might even like you back."

"You are forgetting a _tiny _detail." Leo says casually.

"What?" Mikey asks innocently.

"Oh nothing, just the fact that, we aren't the same _species_!" Leo exclaims in a frustrated voice. "What girl in her right mind would date someone who isn't the same species as them?!"

"That's not true! Elisa and Goliath ended up together in Gargoyles and _they _weren't the same species!" Mikey protest, as he gets to his feet.

The entire time, Donnie and Raph sit back, exchanging grins as they watch the exchange in amused silence. Raph reaches into a cabinet in the wall and pulls out a bag of White Cheddar Popcorn. He opens the bag and offers to his younger, purple clad brother who smiles and scoots over. The two munch on the snack together, as they watch the argument continue.

"_That_, was A CARTOON MIKEY! _We _are _not_ cartoons!" Leo fumes at his younger brother, as he glares harshly.

"I know we aren't cartoons! But dude…how awesome would that be! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…has a nice ring to it…" Mikey says rubbing his chin in thought.

"Stop getting off topic, I'm arguing with you!" Leo says slapping Mikey in the arm, to get his attention again.

"Oh, sorry." Mikey says shaking his head. "Now where was I…oh right. Just because we aren't a cartoon, doesn't mean that Trinity is gonna turn you down just because you're a mutant! Look me in the eye and tell me, weirder things haven't happened!"

Leo opens his mouth to respond, but no argument comes. He was not able to think of one. Mikey was right, the impossible becoming the possible seemed to be something that occurred a lot with his brothers. They themselves were an example of that. There have been several times when they would deny the possibilities of something ever happening only to be proven wrong a mere 24 hours later, at most. It was a continuous cycle that never seemed to end. Why would it now?

"He's got a point fearless." Raph says deciding to join the conversation. "Stanger things _have _ happened. We've been across the galaxy, we've been to other dimensions, Casey managed to hook with April. If _those _things can happen, I don't see why you Trinity can't."

Master Splinter clears his throat and everyone turns to him with expectant looks on their faces. "I believe that Raphael and Michelangelo are right, my son. Nothing can be declared impossible, until it has been attempted."

"I agree too. Your situation is very similar to the famous Schrodinger's Cat experiment." Don began sitting up. "You see-

"Yeah, yeah, I saw that episode of The Big Bang Theory." Mikey says waving Don of with his hand. Don scowls at him, but does not continue and instead, angrily shoves a handful of white cheddar popcorn into his mouth.

"Anyways, you have to _test _something out until saying it's impossible. That's what Casey did, and now look at him." Mikey says making a head motion to the front of the Battle Shell, where Casey is driving.

"Yeah, and I'm willing to bet that Casey ain't the same species as April." Raph says jokingly, earning a snort of laughter of Don.

Leo rolls his eyes as his brothers laugh goofily at each other's jokes and shakes his head. "Okay fine, what do _you _guys expect me to do? Just walk up to her and say, "Hi, I wanna be more than friends with you, if you say no you may devastate me forever, but if you say yes, it could end horribly! No pressure though!"

"Sounds perfectly fine to me!" Mikey says to Leo, giving him two thumbs up, and a large, bright smile.

Burying his hands in his face and plopping down into a chair hopelessly, he groans into his glove-clad palms.

"Sometimes….I _really _hate you guys know that? Honest to God, you three are going to die by my hand one day." Leo says lifting his head and glaring at his brothers.

"Not if _I _get all four of your first." Master Splinter says without changing his meditation form. The trailer grows silent and Master Splinter smiles to himself as he enjoys the sweet sound of nothing. He deserves it, it has been a very long ride, leading up to a long trip. But something told him that this particular trip the farmhouse was going seem _much _longer.

* * *

After what seemed like _hours_,the Battle Shell finally came to a permanent stop after driving up a long path that let led to the farmhouse. Trinity rubs the sleep from her eyes and peeks outside the window to see the farmhouse. With her vision still blurry, and it being pitch black outside, she was not able to get a good enough view. She was only able to make out the large shadow. The house appeared to be huge, three stories at least.

Trinity opened her door began to climb out. Before her feet were able to touch the ground, something cold, and wet hit her in the face. Startled, she squealed and fell backwards onto the snow-covered ground.

From above her, she heard hysterical laughter belonging to no other than Michelangelo. She heard his footsteps crunching in the snow as he stepped closer to her. He grabbed her arm and hefted her off the ground in one swift movement before running to front porch before she was able to slap him.

"Dammit Mikey! If I wasn't so tired I'd _kick your ass_!" Trinity yells brushing snow off her face as she starts towards the dimly lit porch. She is no mood for any of his antics. Her body is stiff and her neck has so many knots that even the slightest turn would cause pain. She sighs as she rubs her neck, wanting nothing more than for Leo to give her another massage. Unfortunately, due the mixed emotions she was feeling about Leo now, getting a back massage from him would only make things even more difficult for her, and the last thing she needs in her life nowadays is more difficulty.

_Stop thinking about that! _She scolds herself mentally. _You're just gonna go inside, go to bed and sleep it all off. You'll figure something out in the morning. _She thinks to herself.

Casey arrives on the front porch and finally gets the door unlocked, the second he does, he is knocked off his feet as everyone rushes into the house and finds a spot in the living room to collapse wherever their legs gave out. Trinity found herself sitting an easy chair with her legs dangling over the arm.

"That…"She begins, kicking off her boots and removing her hat. "was _exhausting_."

"You said it dudette, I'll need to sleep for a week to get my energy back." Mikey says from where he is lying on the plush carpet.

"I didn't realize you were able to run out of energy." Don's half-muffled voice says. He lazily tossed himself on the couch and buried his face in a pillow.

Mikey attempts to toss a pillow at Don, but throws so weakly that the pillow only lands a few in front of him.

Master Splinter chuckles and says, "I believe a good night's sleep is order for us all."

"Amen to that." Casey says stretching his arms and yawning loudly.

"So where are the bedrooms?" Trinity asks looking up Casey. He makes a head movement up the stairs. Trinity at the stairs and frowns.

"Don't worry, these mattresses were crafted by God. The "oh so _long_"trek up the stairs will be worth it." April says letting her long, crimson hair down from its bun. She heads upstairs with Casey in tow. "Night guys!" She calls to everyone downstairs. She gets a chorus of tired mumbles that are impossible to understand. The only one who gives a reply she is able to understand is Master Splinter.

Once they are gone Trinity sighs and stands up. She looks back to tell everyone goodnight, but finds that the four of them have already drifted into a deep sleep in the same careless positions they were in when they carelessly tossed themselves on the couch. "Good night guys." She whispers to their deaf ears with a smile on her face.

She continues up the stairs and walks into the first bedroom she sees. It is equipped with a full size bed, a desk, a dresser, and a half bathroom.

Trinity lazily removed her clothes and threw on her pajamas before collapsing onto the bed, with a relieved and pleasured sigh as she sunk into the mattress.

"This thing really was crafted by God…" She mumbles as she crawls under the covers and rests her head on the pillow, falling asleep almost immediately.

As she sleeps, life once again proves how ironic it could be. For as Trinity slept that night, hoping to expel any further thoughts about Leo, he was the very first thing she saw in her dreams that night.

* * *

**(A/N): Please review, and point out any mistakes. Tata for now!**


	12. Chapter 12

**(A/N): Hello everyone! Hope you all had wonderful holidays! Sorry about the late update, but to make up for it I'll be posting two other chapters after this tonight! ;-) I'd like to thank my awesome reviewers: Livangel16, I Love Kittens Too, Kimmie98, cook563, JessiDisney, hawtphoenix, CatGirlFireflare, zrexheartz, AnnE and lunexa. You guys are awesome! **

**Disclaimer: TMNT is not still not owned by me. Apparently my letter never got to Santa. -_-**

* * *

Trinity wakes up to the smell of a delicious breakfast being prepared downstairs. Waffles, bacon, eggs and freshly brewed coffee. Her mouth waters as she carelessly rolls out of bed, sliding her feet into her slippers and walking down the stairs.

She lazily walks down the stairs and appears in the kitchen doorway, tackily dressed in a pair of pink sweatpants and a zebra print long sleeved top, and fuzzy orange slippers. She is still half-asleep and her hair looks like a rats nest.

"Damn girl, what did your hair do to piss of that vacuum cleaner?" Mikey says with a small laugh as Trinity sits down at the table.

"Shut up!" Trinity mumbles glaring at Mikey as she accepts a mug of coffee from him. "Food comes before hair. Speaking of which, who cooked? It smells great."

"That would be Mikey." Casey says from behind a sports magazine with a yawn. The only part of him that is visible are his fingers sticking holding the magazine in front of him. "When he ain't busy annoying the crap out of everyone around him, he's a pretty good chef."

Trinity nods, and is about to take another sip when she hears the sound of feet being dragged across the floor and into the kitchen. She turns to find Don, entering with a blank look on his face.

"Morning Don!" She says with a friendly smile. He turns to her and growls, and makes a sound that she can only describe as a bark. He glares at her and snarls before dragging his feet across the floor over the coffee pot and grabbing a mug.

"What was _that _all about?" Trinity asks, nudging Raph who is smirking at her.

"Oh, he just hasn't had his coffee yet. You're lucky he didn't bite your head off." Raph says in a low tone. "I swear, he's worse than me in the morning, and that's saying a lot."

Trinity watches as Don pours himself a mug of coffee with a scowl on his face. He takes one sip, and almost immediately, his scowl turns into a friendly smile and waves at Trinity. "Morning guys, morning Trinity."

"Morning Dr. Jekyll." Trinity says hiding a grin behind her coffee mug.

Don laughs and says. "Sorry about that. Since I like you, here's a warning; try to avoid me at all cost if I haven't my morning coffee."

"Noted." Trinity says nodding at Don. There is the sound of more footsteps coming down the stairs and April appears in the room, her red hair styled in a simple braid down her back.

"Morning everyone! I smell Mikey's famous waffles!" She sings as she walks in. She stops behind Casey's chair, wraps her arms his neck, and bends down to plant a kiss on his forehead; ignoring everyone's groans. She fixes herself a mug of coffee and sits down next to Casey.

"Where's Leo and Master Splinter?" Trinity asks no one in particular.

"They're doing their "early morning meditating". Leo should be down here in a few minutes, but dad decides to take his time." Mikey says stepping away from the stove and beginning to fix his food. Once he is done, everyone else gets theirs and sits down at the table as so as Leo comes down.

When he gets to the doorway, he and Trinity's eyes look at each other, and panic cross their beet red faces. They simply greet each other with curt nods, before finding somewhere else to direct their attention. No one in the room seems to notice but April who gives the two a questioning glance as they do try their hardest to avoid looking at each other.

Leo grabs a plate of food and sits down in the chair across from Trinity and begins eating, stealing glances from her now and then.

The two do their best to avoid each other's gaze at all cost. Everyone else at the table makes small talk the entire time while the two of them remain silent. They take turns stealing brief glances from one another, when the other is not looking while April watches with a small smile on her face.

"Well then! That was _great _Mikey. I'm gonna…go…somewhere else now. Bye guys!" She says. She grabs her plate and mug tosses them in sink, giving a confused Mikey a quick thank you hug on the way out.

April wipes her face with her napkin, finishes off her coffee and the rest of the food on her plate, and stands up. "Thanks Mikey, that was _wonderful_. As always. Leave the dishes to me, okay sweetie." She says placing her dirty dishes in the sink. She gives Mikey a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before leaving.

Mikey stands at the stove grinning arrogantly, while nodding his head. "Hope you guys were notes, because what you just saw was a master player at work. Booya!" He says. His brothers only stare at him blankly before rolling their eyes and returning their food.

Meanwhile, April catches up with Trinity in the hallway and calls after her, right before she enters her room.

"Hey April wassup?" Trinity asks the red-headed woman with a small smile.

"I was just wondering if you would like to hang out sometime today." April asks kindly leaning against the wall. "Just us girls."

"What exactly bought this on?" Trinity asks crossing her arms, feeling rather baffled by April's sudden offer.

April shrugs innocently. "We're in a house with five other guys, we should get time to ourselves. That and I could show you around the town a little. You seem like you wouldn't mind getting out of the house for a little anyways."

"Sure April, why not?" Trinity says kindly. "Just let me shower and get dressed."

"I need to get ready too." April says grabbing her hair and staring at the red split ends distastefully. "Meet you downstairs in about 30 minutes?"

"Sounds fine to me. See you down there soon." Trinity says before disappearing into her room. Once she is gone, April releases a pleased sigh and crosses her arms as she continues down the hallway to her room.

"It's _fun _to meddle." She says to herself with and impish smile as she makes her way down the hallway and enters her room.

As they agreed, they meet down stairs minutes later, dressed for the cold weather. Rather than the rats nest it was before, Trinity's brown locks are now tamed and hanging down loosely, passing her shoulders slightly.

"Where are you two headed?" Casey asks in a strained voice as he tries to force Raph's arm down onto the table.

Trinity raises an eyebrow at them. Donnie follows her gaze and rolls his eyes with a sigh. "They're arm wrestling last piece of bacon." He explains in an annoyed tone.

"Don't try ta make us sound stupid Braniac! That bacon was good as hell and you know it!" Raph yells at Donnie. Casey takes advantage of the distraction and almost manages to defeat him, but before the back of Raph's hand can hit the table, Raph makes a comeback and forces his arm up.

Trinity blinks several times. "Why can't they just ask Mikey to make more?" She asks staring at the utter stupidity in front of her.

"Hey!" Mikey's voice bellows from out of nowhere. Trinity jumps and she looks into the living room to see Mikey sitting up on the couch with a comic in his hands. "My cooking _is _not something you can just take advantage of like that, sweetheart. My cooking is a trypanosomiasis that must be neglected."

"Mikey, that is _not _what that word means!" Don hisses, shooting his younger brother a glare. Mikey just shrugs and lies back down on the couch, reading his comic book.

Trinity blinks a few more times and shakes her head, looking back at Raph who is still engaged in his arm wrestling match with Casey.

"To answer your question, April is taking me out to show me around town for a while. You know, girl time." Trinity says looking at April with a small smile.

"Cool." Raph responds not taking his eyes of Casey. "Hey, while you two are out; bring back some Friskies and a scratching post for Casey, because he arm wrestles like a _pussy_!"

"Oh yeah! I don't think you should be talkin Raph, I thought I was wrestlin a baby duck for the past 10 minutes! Put some effort into it ya bald pansy!"

"Shut up, ass licker!" Raph counters angrily.

"No _you _shut up, piss drinker!"

"Turd bucket!

"Donkey humper!"

"Snot face!"

"Spit sack!"

"Dick head!"

"Shit eater!"

"Arnold!"

"BRONY!"

"**THAT'S IT! YA DEAD JONES!**"

Raph launches himself across the table and tackles Casey to the ground, and just like that, the two begin rolling around on the floor, shooting bizarre insults back and forth as they scuffle.

Everyone watches with deadpan looks on their faces. Don sighs and looks over at April, "Seriously…what _do _you see in him?"

Unable to answer April shrugs helplessly and frowns.

"Trash heap!"

"Ass face!"

"Prick biscuit!"

"Oh for the love of-" Trinity stomps into the kitchen, stepping over the tangle of limbs on the floor and enters the kitchen. She grabs the last piece of bacon and storms back into the room. She breaks it in half and bends down, next to Casey and Raph. They both look at her in confusion and when they open their mouths to question, she shoves either half of the bacon in their mouths.

"There, all better?" She asks the still tangled limbs that are Casey and Raph, lying at her feet. She does not wait for an answer as she grabs April's hand and pulls her towards the door.

"Come on April. I now realize your pain, and how much I need this little getaway." She mumbles as she drags April away. April looks over her shoulder and gives everyone a wave and friendly smile before she is dragged out of the door.

Raph and Casey swallow their bacon and look at each other. "No hard feelings, bro?" Casey asks extending his hand.

"No hard feelings." Raph agrees. He takes Casey's hand, and with speed he did not know Casey had, Casey props their arms up in arm wrestling positions and shoves Raph's arm onto the floor before standing up triumphantly.

"Ha! All of that and I _still _beat your ass!" Casey yells at Raph who is seething at him from his spot on the floor. "Goongala bitch!"

Raph stands up and looks over at his brothers who are snickering at him from the couch. The two of them walk over to the living area, exchanging light punches with each other along the way.

Raph storms over and plops down in between Donnie and Mikey. "Whateva, screw Casey. I got by damn bacon, that's all that matters." He mumbles crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, sure Raph. Say that later on to make yourself feel better when you're crying about it." Casey teases as he sits on the arm of an easy chair.

"Is she gone?" Says a voice the coat closet.

Mikey rolls his eyes and sighs. "Yes, Leo she's gone." The closet door swings open and Leo steps out, sighing with relief before joining his brothers on the couch.

"So remind me again why you were hiding from her?" Don asks the oldest of the Hamato brothers. Leo shifts around uncomfortably and sighs.

"It would've been _awkward_, you saw how we were at breakfast earlier. You think you needed more awkwardness in addition to the stupidity of dumb and dumber over here?" Leo said pointing at Raph his thumb. "Which reminds me," Leo says turning to face his brother. "You're a brony?"

Mikey and Donnie's snickering resumes and Casey just smirks as Raph's face begins to turn as red as his mask, out of embarrassment and anger. "Don't change the subject, when are you gonna make your move with Trinity?"

"Yeah man, you wait too long, and poof, she's going to end up in the arms of, _Alejandro_." Mikey says dramatically. "And I'd be worried if I were you, this guy sounds _sexy_." Mikey says with a grin. The grin fades from his face as his brothers smirk and laugh at him. "I didn't mean like that! It's just…shut up! Leo quit being a baby and go get your woman, dammit!"

"Maybe I would, if I had the slightest clue on how to ask a girl out." Leo says throwing his hands up helplessly.

"Just do what Casey did, be desperate. Follow her around and never shut the hell up." Raph says smirking.

"Hey! That is _not _how it went down, for your information. I'll have you know, that I swept April off her feet with my charm." Casey says coolly. "No woman can resist _this_." Casey spreads his arms out and smiles cockily.

Meanwhile the others are barely able to contain their laughter.

"What? She finally kissed me didn't she?" Casey asks sounding offended.

"Yeah, and all it took was an alien invasion." Don says before he and the others erupt in laughter.

"Hey! I'll have you guys know, that in high school, girls couldn't keep their hands off me." Casey challenges, his face flushing with embarrassment.

"Probably because they were all trying to kill you for being such a lame flirt." Mikey says managing to subdue his laughter long enough for him to speak, only for him to laugh even louder once he was done.

"Aren't we supposed to be talking about, Leo and Trinity?!" Casey says angrily. The laughter once again dies and they all turn to Leo.

"Look," Casey starts nudging Leo's leg with his foot. "If you want my advice-

"I _really_ don't."

"Shut up, you're getting anyway." Casey says casually before continuing. "You have to act confident. If you keep being nervous, and acting like a 13 year old asking a girl out for the first time, it ain't gonna happen. _Why _do you think it took an alien invasion for April to finally kiss me?!"

"Because you're a bonehead and she felt sorry for you." Raph replies with a grin.

"No! Not because I'm a bonehead. Because I was too nervous and I wasn't confident enough. I kept putting myself down and saying she was too good for me, so whenever I tried ask her out, I just ended coming off as being unconfident, and April doesn't like that. So if you stop focusing so much on your chances of failing, just focus on how important she is to you." Casey says. He allows himself a small smile as everyone stares at him with looks of shock on his face.

"Yeah, that's right. I made sense. I said something wise. Mama didn't raise no fool." Casey says cockily. He laces his fingers together and places his intertwined hands behind his head. "Just goes to show, that Casey Jones is a geni- GAH!"

Forgetting that he was on the arm of the chair, Casey leans back and tumbles off the chair, and onto the floor with a loud thud. "Ow." He says bluntly.

The four of them look down at Casey shaking their heads before looking away from him. "Surprisingly enough, Casey _does _have a point." Don says, not trying to hide the shock evident on his face from the words he just spoke.

"Yeah. The man's a total dumbass, but think about it, he _is _the only one of us who actually has _experience _with women and dating." Mikey chimed in.

"What, Raph's relationship with his Megan Fox poster doesn't count?" Don asks with mock surprise on his face. He dodges a pillow thrown by Raph, and laughs.

"_And _he ended up with April." Mikey adds. "She's a pretty nice catch, so it's not like he's giving _terrible _advice that won't work."

"That's right!" Casey says getting into a kneeling position and leaning on the arm of the chair. "Thanks Mikey." He says smiling at the orange clad terrapin through his disheveled ebony hair.

"You're welcome! You're still an idiot though." Mikey says with a smile. Casey just gives him the classic one finger salute before sitting in the chair again, this time deciding to settle down on the cushion.

"Oh leave him alone, Mikey." Leo says smiling at Casey. "He _did _manage to produce good advice. So let's just lay off him…for now at least."

Casey smiles back at Leo. "I'll take what I can get." Casey says raising his hands. He reaches for the TV remote and begins flipping through channels.

"What are you looking for?" Don asks raising an eye ridge.

"What you think I'm looking for? Saturday morning, 11:00 am." He finally settles on a channel with bright colorful images of small horses prancing. "Raph's show is on."

Casey sets the remote down and sprints out of the living room before Raph is able to grab him. He rushes up stairs and into his room, his laughter echoing down the hall, and filling the living room.

"Oh don't worry Raph, we all have our guilty pleasures." Leo says placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Yours just happens to be _very _hilarious and you will _never _live it down."

Raph does not respond. Instead, he simply glowers at his brother and growls. Trying his hardest not to take interest in the show. He finally grabs a remote and flips to another channel.

Leo sits back down in his chair and sighs. The thought of finally confronting Trinity returns to his head, but this time, rather than run from it, he smiles. Knowing that when the time finally came, he was going to live up to his nickname.

He was going to be, Fearless.


	13. Chapter 13

With a distant and depressed look in her eyes, Trinity drove the prongs of her fork through yet another crouton of her salad before using it to push the lettuce around in her plate. It had been how she spent the majority of her lunch with April that day. After browsing around in a few small stores and looking at main attractions for a fewhours, they decided to stop for lunch at a small café, where Trinity spent most of the time sulking rather than eating.

The ice inside her drink had melted; watering it down, and turning it into a distasteful solution of Sprite and melted cold water; she always hated that. Still, she reached for the cup and tilted it towards her slightly to drink.

"Um…Trinity, you okay hon?" April asks from across the table with a frown on her face.

"I'm fine…why do you ask?" Trinity responds monotonously without looking up.

"Because you're drowning your salad." April replies, her voice a mixture of concern and disgust.

Trinity's head snaps up and she looks up at April in confusion before turning her attention to her plate, and finding her salad half-floating in the watered down drink.

"Dammit to hell!" She says under her breath slamming the cup down on the table. She grabs the plate and gets up to go throw it in the trashcan before returning to her seat and plopping down in it with a sigh.

"Trinity?" April asks again kindly.

"I wasn't hungry anymore, April." Trinity says with a shrug.

April sighs and asks a waiter passing by to bring her a to-go box. He returns a few minutes later and April puts what is left over of her food into the box before paying the check and standing up. Trinity looks up at her and cocks an eyebrow. She looks over at the nearby clock on the wall and frowns. "I thought we weren't heading back for another 30 minutes." She says looking at April.

"I know, we're done." April says, sliding her arms into her gray Pea Coat. "Come on, we're going for a walk."

"April I said that nothing is-

Trinity's words caught in her throat as April's jade eyes stared back down at her, very stern and but at the same time, gentle. A look, that according to the guys and Casey, meant that arguing with April would be no use, as well as a big mistake.

Without another word of protest, Trinity stands and slides her coat on as well. She grabs her cup, tossing it in the trashcan on the way out. She follows April out of the café and the two of them cross the street, to a small park and start on the trail, which is pretty much empty.

"You've been acting like this ever since we left the farmhouse, Trinity. It's starting to worry me." April says to the younger woman in a caring tone as they walk down the path. The trail was silent aside from the sound of the snow crunching beneath their feet and the fading sound of young children playing as they went further down the path.

"It's nothing. Why do you care?" Trinity spits out harshly, hoping she could scare April off and avoid having the conversation.

"Because I consider you a friend a Trinity, a very good friend. If something is bothering you then, I wanna know what it is." April replies, using the same gentle, despite Trinity's less than kind response.

Rather than, respond Trinity angrily kicks up some snow to release some of the somberness turned, anger that she had kept trapped inside of her ever since learning the other night, that Leo had feelings for her. Other than Master Splinter who she spoke to on that same night, she had not uttered a word about what she was feeling about the situation she was in.

"It's nothing it's…I…I'm just confused about something is all; and being confused about things can out me in a very bad mood." Trinity says looking at April and forcing a smile onto her face.

"So in other words this is a guy problem?" April asks, though it is not really a question.

Trinity looks at her in shock. "N-No that's not it. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Right, and Raph likes the opera." April said in a deadpan tone. "Trinity, we're women. We know _everything _about each other. And from the way you walking around today, you were obviously dealing with some serious guy problems."

Trinity allows herself a small laugh and gives a smile. "You really know your stuff huh?"

"Hey, I've been being a woman for 21 years now. I think I know the "guy troubles" face when I see it." April says with a smile.

Trinity raises an eyebrow and smiles. "21 years?" She inquires crossing her arms.

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it." April says with a smile. Her smile fades and she glares down at Trinity. "And if you wanna live to see that age, so are you."

This time, Trinity tosses her head back in laughter, and it feels good after days of on and off moping around.

"But seriously…this guy. What's the story with him? I'm sure Leo would Leo would be more than happy to kick his ass for you." April teases nudging Trinity with her elbow.

Trinity grows serious, causing April's own laughter to die down as her eyes once again fill with concern. "I dunno…like I said, I'm confused."

"Okay, at this point I must ask, is this…"guy" by chance a six foot, katana wielding, blue banded, turtle?" April asks raising an eyebrow.

Trinity snorts in response. "Dammit April, what are you, psychic?"

April shrugs and smiles. "Nah, l just know these things. So, what exactly is the problem?"

"Well, it just so happens that he has crush on me." Trinity says hugging herself as a cool breeze flies by.

"No!" April says in mock surprise, clutching her hand over her heart.

"Okay, haha. Very funny. But back to the series stuff, he has a crush on me, and I don't think he knows that I know." Trinity says. She stops in the middle of the path and sits down on a bench. April joins her and urges her to continue.

"And now you have no idea what to do about it?" April asks, even though once again, it was not really a question.

Trinity nods and smiles ruefully.

"Well how do you feel about him?" April asks. Trinity's eyes widen and her cheeks turn red.

"Trinity, I'm not one of the guys, you can talk to me about this. Now, _spill_!" April says. Trinity smiles, and feels a lump rise in her throat. April's eagerness reminds of how Melody used to act whenever Trinity said something about getting close to a guy. Her eyes would always fill with excitement that would cause them to shine. The memory fills Trinity with a sense of both grief and bliss, as she looks April.

Trinity's smile grows wider and she exhales. "I…I kinda like him too." Trinity says as her cheeks get hotter.

April squeals and giggles. "I _knew _it!" April says clasping her mitten hands together. "Soooo, go ooon." She urges.

"Well…who _wouldn't _like him? He's sweet, he's brave and he's so protective and kind. He's the kind of guy you think only exist in fairy tales and cheesy romance movies." Trinity says dreamily. She snaps out of it and glares at April before slapping her in the arm. "Stop making me get all mushy!"

"Okay, okay! So…you like him, he likes you…what's the problem?" April asks with a smile. Her smile fades slowly and her expression darkens. "Wait a minute…" April says in a low voice. "Is it because he isn't-

"NO! No, no , no. God, not that it's just…" Trinity struggles to find the words.

"It's just that, what?" April says, returning to her calm state, which was a relief to Trinity. Seeing April go into her protective, big sister/mother mode was pretty frightening.

"It's just that….no matter what I do, I'm going to ruin our friendship, and I don't want that." Trinity says remorsefully. April looks on at her in confusion and she continues. "If I say no…I might hurt him. If I say yes…chances are I'll ruin everything. It's a lose-lose situation."

"What makes you think you'll ruin everything?" April asks in shock. She had always viewed Trinity as a brave, outgoing young woman. To her she had a very high level confidence. She always spoke her mind and was never afraid to say what she felt. To her say words like the ones she just spoke was a shock to her.

"Past experience." Trinity says bitterly rolling her eyes. "The bottom line is, I don't want to start a relationship with someone that I'm going to ruin. Leo deserves better. "

"I see," April says turning to look straight ahead of her. "Well Trinity all I have to say is this." She looks back at Trinity so that their facing each other. "If you care about Leo as much I think you do, and if he cares about _you _as much as I think he does…no matter what happens, or what you think, you'll find a way to make work. You just have enough passion and faith. I know it sounds corny but if you have another of those two things, you're gonna make it work no matter what."

The younger woman looks at April and nods. "Maybe we should start heading back?" She offers. She wanted nothing more, than get back to the farmhouse, go up to her room and curl up under the covers, the only place where she could seem to get any peace these days. April stands up without another word and the two head back to the farmhouse.

When they walk through the door, they are surprised to find that the house is decent looking, Master Splinter has not gone insane, and none of the guys have killed each other, which _very _surprising given what had occurred before they left earlier that morning.

"Well seeing as how all of you are still alive and it doesn't look like a hurricane went through here, I'd say you guys weren't very busy." April says with an approving nod as she plops down in Casey's lap.

"That's only because Master Splinter kicked us out of the house the entire you were gone and made us shovel the driveway." Mikey says gloomily as he flips through the channels on the TV."

April stifles a laugh at the comment and shakes her head.

"So, how did your "girl's day out" go?" Leo asks looking at April. When no one is looking, he steals a glance from Trinity, who was staring blankly at the television screen. She was not really watching anything, she would not have been able to anyway. Mikey only stayed on each channel for three seconds. She looks up momentarily and meets his eyes before waving a little and turning away again.

"Oh it was _wonderful_. Now I can talk to another girl about how insane you guys are, without sounding like a have a few screws lose myself." She teases.

"Well glad you two are getting along." Leo says to April with a smile. He feels someone tap his shoulder and turns to find Trinity standing behind him, still dressed in her coat.

"Go for a walk with me?" She asks him. His widen and he looks at her stunned by nods his head.

"Yeah sure, just let me grab my coat and stuff." He says, sounding unsure about the situation. Trinity nods and leaves the house giving a friendly wave to everyone in the living room. Her swamp green eyes lock with April's jade ones, and April gives her and encouraging smile and a nod. Trinity smiles back and leaves the house where she sits on the porch waiting for Leo.

After a few minutes, Leo comes back down the stairs in a scarf, a large jacket, pants and boots. The only visible part of him are his brown eyes, and a little of skin.

Mikey snickers when he sees him and says, "Leo and Trinity sitting in the snow, K-I-S-S...wait that won't rhyme…"

Leo is about to slap himself in the face he pauses, and instead whacks Mikey in the back of his head.

"Hey! What was _that _for?!" Mikey whines, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why should I have to slap myself because _you're _being annoying." Leo says shrugging his shoulders. "Anyways, I gotta go. Trinity's waiting for me."

"What do you think she wants to talk to you about?" Don says with a smile.

"Maybe she doesn't wanna _talk _at all, if you get what I'm saying." Raph chimes in. He, Don, Mikey and Casey laugh as Leo glares at them. April stand up and walks over to Leo.

"Oh leave the poor guy alone, if he wants to talk to the girl who is inevitably going to be his girlfriend, then let him." April says placing her hands in Leo's shoulder.

"That's it! _You _just earned yourself a spot on under Mikey's name on my list of people to smother in their sleep. You used to get a free pass, but _nope_ not anymore!" Leo says pulling away from April, who holds her hands up surrender.

"I'm just kidding. Now you better get going, it's not wise to keep a woman waiting for her man." She says teasingly.

"It's not wise to keep a woman waiting for her man." Leo mocks as he goes towards the door. He storms out as everyone behind him laughs, and finds Trinity sitting on the porch swing. Upon hearing the door close, she stands and walks down the stairs with him.

"Sorry about the long wait, the guys and April were being well…the guys and April…so in other words, if I didn't get out of there soon, I would've murdered all of them." Leo says as they begin walking towards the woods.

Trinity laughs, and says, "I understand, I wasn't expecting them to let you go that easily."

"Yeah they…never do. Part of why I love and hate them all so much." Leo says warmly. "So what did you wanna talk to me about?" Leo asks once they are deeper into the woods. The farmhouse had disappeared from their view a while ago, but since Leo was able to find his way back, so he did not worry too much. What he did worry about was Trinity's behavior, the expression on her face looked as if she was feeling sick. For the longest time, she walked in complete silence. Every once and a while she would try and say something but her voice would falter and she would change the subject, before straying away from that as well.

Finally, she stops at the bottom of a large hill. The woods had gotten thicker, and the snow was a little her ankles. The sky was beginning to turn orange, as the sun began to set signaling the end of yet another short winter day.

"Okay, Leo." She says clenching her fist and swallowing hard. "I've stalled enough. I'm gonna come right out and say it."

Turning her way Leo steps closer until they are face to face. "Go on." He says urging to continue, even though he feels he knows what she is about to say.

"A couple of nights ago…in the lair…I was with your brothers and…well…some…things were said." Trinity starts. She looks up at Leo, his dark brown eyes staring back at her expectantly.

"Mikey…he said that you like me…that you…really, _really _like me." Trinity says, struggling to find the words as she speaks.

"I…I know." Leo admits sagging his shoulders.

Trinity looks up and her eyes widen in shock. "Y-you know?! Who told you that I knew!" She shakes her head and squeezes her eyes closed. "Lemme rephrase that, when did _Mikey _tell you that I knew?"

"On the way down here…he um…blurted it out." Leo says rubbing the back of his neck.

Trinity sighs. "Guess from what I know about him so far, I can't say I'm surprised." She mutters looking at the ground. She looks up at Leo and says in a barely audible, but shaky voice, "How long?"

"What do you mean how lo-…oh." Leo says realizing what she meant.

"Since our…"not a date" I guess." Leo says with a small chuckle.

Trinity nods and smiles. "I…guess that makes sense." She says.

"Wait…you aren't freaked out, because I'm not…or rather because I _am_-

"A mutant turtle?" Trinity offers raising an eyebrow.

Leo hangs his head and sighs, "Yeah…that."

Trinity looks at him hardly. "Leo…in the month or so I've known you, you've gotten me a job when I desperately needed one, fought of ninjas for me, gave me a shoulder to cry on…I've met humans who would never do things like that. For someone like _you _to have feelings for someone like me is, flattering…it's an honor."

"What do you mean, _someone like you_?" Leo asks Trinity, looking at her hardly. Trinity opens her mouth to respond but before she can speak, there is a loud boom, followed by rumbling.

Acting on instinct Leo shoves Trinity behind him protectively and looks around, with alert in his eyes.

"Leo what was that?" Trinity asks moving closer to him, her voice trembling with fear.

"Oh...fuck." Leo says darkly. "Run!"

Trinity is about to question him, but she does not have to. Before any words can escape her mouth, a colossal wall of snow comes down the hill.

"Trinity!" Leo calls to her, terror filling his voice. She looks towards him thinking he needs help, but sees that he is fine. She then looks in front of her and sees a mound of snow racing towards her. She wants to run, but her legs will not allow her, not that running would have done her much good anyway. The snow was coming at her with speed she could not match up to in any way.

A split second before the snow is able to crush her; a powerful force takes her off her feet. The wind is knocked out of her as she soars out of the way of the falling mas of snow. When she lands, she finds herself hitting cold, hard ground, briefly knocking her out.

Trinity's eyes drift open and with blurred, and slowly fading vision as the cave begins to darken. She watches in horror as the mouth of the cave is covered in show.

Her heart almost stops, as the falling snow covers the top of the cave's mouth, entombing her in the cave alive.


	14. Chapter 14

"Trinity?!" Leo calls into the darkness. The cave is pitch black. He is not even able to see his own hand in front of his face.

"Leo!? Leo is that you?" Trinity's voice calls back from somewhere in the cave. Across from him, a small beam of light appears in the darkness of the cave, casting a faint glow. "Good thing I always keep a mini flashlight with me." She says smiling down at the small object.

"And you always keep a mini flashlight with you because, why exactly?" Leo asks her. The relief in his voice is not hidden unlike the smile on his face. He has never been happier to her voice.

Trinity smiles a little, "It's something Melody used to do. She went to the store and grabbed a bunch of the little things. She said you never know when you may need a mini flashlight. She always came up with the stupidest things."

Leo chuckles as Trinity gets closer until the two are standing side by side.

"Wait…when did you get in here? I never saw you come in after me!" She says frantically, with a hint of confusion on her face.

"I'm a _ninja_, we can do stuff like that." He says with a smile. "So are you okay?" He asks her, his voice full of concern.

"I hit my head when I fell." Trinity says. She decides to just tell the truth rather lie. That would only lead to getting into an argument she was sure to lose. "But other than that, I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine. What's this about your head, now?" Leo says, or rather demands as she he takes her flashlight and shines it at her head. He frowns when he finds a small bloodstain on the back of her her white wool hat, and mutters a curse in Japanese.

"Leo," Trinity starts tiredly, turning around so she is face to face with him. "I'll be fine, it's just small trickle of blood and the pain will wear off soon enough. I can even wrap it up with my scarf, if that would make you feel better."

Leo looks over her partially lit face with uncertainty. Annoyance crosses Trinity's face and she sighs. "Leo. I'll be fine."

Leo exhales and shrugs. "Okay, fine. I'll let it go, but if I think it gets worse, I'm gonna go mother hen on you rather you like it or not. Got it?"

Trinity puts on a serious face and salutes him, "Yes, sir!" She says with a curt nod. "Now," She says taking her light back. "Let's what we're dealing with here."

Trinity shines the light around the tunnel observing as much of their surroundings as she can. The cave is small, roughly only three meters wide and 10 feet tall. The inside of the cave is cold, and contains dry air, which as a result of them not having an water, was going to be their biggest problem. Trinity swallows nervously she turns the flashlight towards Leo.

"So, any ideas about how to get out of here? Cause I got nothing." Trinity says trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"I don't have any ideas either." Leo admits in defeat. He takes a deep breath and rubs his temples. "Okay, what would Donnie do in situation like this?"

Trinity shrugs. "Call him and ask?" She offers with uncertainty in her voice.

The cave echoes with the sound of Leo slapping himself in the forehead. "Duh, why didn't I think of that?" Leo says as he feels his layers of clothing for his shell cell.

"Because all guys are stupid and females are superior in every way. Now hurry up and call him so we can get out of here!" Trinity says hugging herself tightly and shining her light around. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this place."

"Well then…you're gonna hate what I'm about to say." Leo says cautiously. Trinity shines the small light on Leo's worried face and frowns.

"You don't have your shell cell do you?" She asks him, giving him a harsh glare that he was not able to see.

"Oh I have it…it's just dead." Leo says with steel in his voice. He shoves the useless device back in his pocket, muttering even more curses in Japanese. "What about you?"

Trinity fishes around in her pocket and pulls her phone out. She is happy to find that it has a full charge, but when she tries to make a call, she discovers it has no service. "I've got no service." She says with a small hint of fear in her voice. She bits back a whimper as she puts her phone back in her pocket. "Could we dig ourselves out?" She asks hopefully, she points her light in the direction of the mouth of the cave where, which is completely blocked with snow. Leo goes over it and pounds his fist on it, but nothing happens. "This stuff is rock solid; we aren't getting out this way."

"So now what do we do?" Trinity asks leaning against the wall of the cave and slumping down helplessly, her voice full of fear and panic.

"Chances are the others will get worried and come looking for us. They'll see the avalanche, and then get an idea of what happened and where to look. So all we have to do is stay put until they can come here and save us."

"Or until we get eaten by bear." Trinity mumbles under breath, but Leo still hears her due to the echo in the cave.

"We will _not _get eaten by a bear, Trinity. I've been coming up for quite some time now, and never before have I seen a bear…at least…not an adult bear." Trinity exhales and shines the small light in front of them to reveal a long, dark, tunnel ahead of them. This time, her whimper escapes her and she steps back. "You don't think anything is gonna come out of there right?" She asks turning her flashlight away from the tunnel and looking at Leo.

She feels a firm hand grasp hers, and squeeze it comfortingly. She looks up, shines her flashlight into Leo's face, and finds that he had moved his scarf so he could give her an encouraging smile.

"If something does, I _ swear_ I won't let anything happen to you. I can promise you that much." He says warmly. Trinity smiles and nods her head. "Thanks, Leo. I would make that same promise but chances are I'll be less than useless if we get attacked. But I'll cheer you on from the side lines!" She says optimistically.

Leo laughs and says, "Thanks, I've always wanted be cheered on while getting mauled by a bear."

Trinity smiles and pulls her knees close to her chest and shivers. Leo slides down next to her sighs. "You, okay?" He asks looking at her.

Trinity looks up at him with a deadpan expression and he smiles sheepishly. "Right, stupid question." He mutters under his breath.

"I'm just little cold is all." Trinity says hugging herself tighter. Despite the fact that she was wearing a wool turtleneck sweater, a light jacket, and a fur coat, she was still shivering from the caves cold temperature, which was no doubt going to drop once nightfall came. She pulled her hat down over her ears and pulled her hood over her head on top it off, to warm her numb ears.

"How are you holding up? You know, being cold-blooded and all?" Trinity asks looking over Leo. It had slipped her mind that he was probably ten times colder than she was, and she immediately felt guilty for complaining about her own discomfort because of the temperature.

"I'm fine. It's for that exact reason that I wear so much clothing." Leo says shifting around uncomfortably. "Despite how much I _hate _wearing human clothes. Seriously, how can you people stand to walk like this?

"How can _you _stand to walk around practically _naked_?" Trinity counters looking him with an eyebrow raised.

Leo narrows his eyes at her and decides to ignore the comment. "Like I said, I'll be fine. I've got on enough coats to open up a Burlington." Leo mutters. He earns a small laugh from Trinity and he smiles. Given their current situation, and the fear stirring inside of him, it is good to hear.

"But still," Trinity says once her laughter dies down. "When nightfall comes…" Her voice trails off, but Leo did not need to hear the rest. He had dressed to prepare for a walk in the woods, not being trapped in a cave by an avalanche. Even with his multiple layers of clothing he probably just, barely be able to keep warm once the temperatures dropped.

"Maybe…" He says shifting around a little. "For, _survival_ purposes, we should…huddle for warmth or something?" He offers nervously.

Trinity is grateful that the darkness of the cave hides the grin that formed on her face. She could not help but notice how cute and nervous he sounded. She bites back a teasing comment and instead scoots closer to him. Even under his layers of coats, she was able to feel him stiffen as she moved closer. She settled down in his lap and let her head rest on his chest, which was lightly cushioned due to the number of coats he was wearing. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she squeezed him tightly, hoping that was helping to warm him up.

"How's that?" She asks once she is settled.

"That's hot." Leo breathes sounding entranced, blushing underneath his scarf.

"Excuse me?" Trinity asks lifting her head.

"Warm! I meant mean warm…yes…very, very warm…thanks." Leo stammers, once again thanking the darkness for concealing his flushed cheeks. "Glad to help." She says closing her eyes. She yawns and shifts around a little, folding her legs in Leo's lap so she will be more comfortable.

"You should get some sleep." Leo says. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her closer to him. Lying to himself and saying that it was because he felt cold. Trinity releases a pleasured moan, and buries her face deeper in his outer coat. "What about you?" Says her tired, half-muffled voice.

"I'll stay awake so I can wake you incase anything happens. You know, so my cheer squad can be ready in case that bear comes." Leo says trying for another laugh.

Causing him to smile triumphantly upon succeeding, Trinity chuckles into his coat and nods. "That makes sense. But wake me up if _anything _happens, and I mean _anything_. I'll try not to bitch slap you this time."

"That means _so much_ coming from you." Leo says sarcastically. He nods before he closes his eyes and rests his check on the top of her head. He grabs the flashlight lying on the ground and switches it off, leaving them in complete darkness. Trinity sits up in alarm but he gently pulls her back into him.

"Relax, it's so we can conserve power. We aren't going anywhere so we should keep it off, so that we won't kill the battery." Leo says soothingly. Trinity mumbles something that Leo assumes is her agreeing with him.

"Well don't you have everything figured out?" Trinity says quietly with a smile on her face. She feels Leo shake with laughter and her smile grows wider.

"Yeah, when someone is trying to kill you every other day of the month and you're forced to survive through terrible situations, you pick up on a few survival tips." Leo says shrugging his shoulders.

"Just how many adventures have you and your brothers had? Being mutant ninja turtles and all, I would imagine you would have many interesting stories to tell. As a matter of fact, I'd love to hear some of them." Trinity says. "Might make time go by a little faster, you know?"

Leo smiles and runs a hand through her hair, stroking it lightly as he speaks. "I ever tell you about the time my brothers and I took the Prime Leader of the Triceriton planet hostage and escaped with the Fugitoid during an intergalactic war in outer space?" Leo asks casually.

There is a pause as Trinity pretends to think for a moment. "No, I can't say I have. I'd love to hear it." She says snuggling closer.

Leo clears his throat dramatically and begins. "Well you see, it all started when we were accidently transported the planet D'Hoonnib by the Utroms after finding Master Splinter in the T.C.R.I building."

"I already have _so many _questions." Trinity says with a small laugh. She listens as Leo continuous the bizarre story with a smile on her face. She is almost able to forget that they were trapped in a cave with no way of contacting help. But at the moment, it didn't matter to her. In fact, she figures that given the danger of the situation, and the fact that they could die if help did not soon come enough, or if they did not escape the cave; that she should enjoy every second she has him, especially if those precious seconds, could be her last.


	15. Chapter 15

**(A/N): Hi everyone! Well you go, the 15****th**** chapter! As always I'd like to thank my reviewers! Kimmie98, oxCuteKataraox, Guest, Solar Storm Flare, IceColdFever, bell-13-tmnt-lover, Liveangel16, zrexheartz and Skipper917! Thanks for over 80 reviews everyone! You're what keeps this story going!**

**Disclaimer: TMNT is not mine. The OC's are my property though. **

* * *

April released a frustrated groan and violently pressed the end button. It had been yet another unanswered call. It did not take very long for everyone to get worried when Leo and Trinity did not return once it came to be nighttime. Some may accuse them of being paranoid, but they had all learned firsthand what could happen when they second-guess themselves about a loved one being in trouble. That faint voice in very back of their heads telling them that their brother and new friend could be in trouble was enough to provoke them to become concerned. It did not help that a blizzard had started not too long ago. The wind was howling and blowing with such speed and force that the branches of trees were swaying violently, unable to stand against the strong gust.

"That's it." Raph growls pulling on his clothing for the cold weather. "We're going out there to find them."

No verbal agreement is needed. Everyone disperses from the living room and begins to put on their coats. April is pulling on her jacket when she is stopped by a firm hand being placed on her arm. She looks down to find Master Splinter starring back up her.

"Perhaps it would better if you stay here with me, incase Leonardo or Ms. Love return." He says warmly.

April opens her mouth to protest, but remembers who she is talking to, reminding herself that arguing would be pointless and a waste of everyone's time. Even _she _could not hold her own in an argument against the old rat. She takes her coat back off and places it on the coat rack.

"Yes, Master Splinter." She says with a small smile, which he returns.

"You guys all set?" Casey asks zipping his coat, his voice bitter and full of steel and worry. While he tries to keep a straight face, he is not able to conceal the worry and fear in his voice, as he and the remaining Hamato brothers prepare to go out and search.

"Be _careful _out there, guys. And stay in contact with us, call if you find _anything_." April says with tears stinging in her eyes.

"Don't worry babe, _careful_ is my middle name." Casey says to the ruby haired woman, trying for a smile, despite the fact that he cannot manage one of his own.

"I thought _Casey _was your middle name, and your real name was Arnold." Mikey chimes in, with a light smile.

"Yuk. yuk. yuk. Move it chucklehead." Casey says pushing Mikey towards the door roughly, but with a small smile on his face.

Equipped with large flashlights, the five of them head out into the blizzard to search for Leo and Trinity, hoping that would find them in time.

* * *

"This sucks." Trinity says, desperately squeezing Leo tighter for warmth. As they both suspected and feared, nightfall had come and temperature had dropped, making the cave seem like an ice box. Neither of them were used to having to put up with temperatures this low. Being born and raised in Florida, Trinity had never seen much snow. She thought she faced a challenge in New York, but compared to the cave, the lively city seemed liked a tropical paradise. Even Leo who had been in New York his entire life and had spent many winters at the farmhouse, was not able to withstand the temperatures.

"Tell me about it." Leo responds, wrapping his arms around her tighter as well. "But look, I've faced aliens, monsters, ninjas, crime lords, thugs, psychotic government agents, mad scientist, killer robots, mutant bugs, and demons. I'll be damned if being trapped in a cave is what kills me."

Trinity laughs a little and sighs. The two sit together and do not speak. The only sound being their breathing and the sound of the blizzard going on outside of the cave. In the distance, a wolf howls and Trinity stiffens, releasing a small whimper and she squeezes Leo tighter. She hears him gasp for air a little and loosens her grip on him slightly.

"Sorry, about that." She says shamefully. It was times like these when she both admires and envies Leo for the bravery she wishes she had. "I was just…startled." She lies. She was actually more than startled. In fact, she had never more terrified in her entire life. The entire time she was trapped in the cave, despite Leo's constant words of encouragement, she found herself unable to expel the feeling of fear from her head. "You must think I'm _pretty _pathetic right now." She thinks aloud.

"Why would I think that? Because you're scared?" Leo replies. Trinity does not respond, she just sniffles and sighs.

"Trinity being scared does _not _make you pathetic, it makes you human." Leo says. He chuckles before saying, "Not that I'd know much about that."

"Oh stop it." Trinity slapping him lightly. "You're human in every aspect, even _more _human than the assholes that have the nerve to call you anything less than that." She smiles and little and moves her hand around in the darkness, hunting for his. When she finds it, she intertwines her fingers with his. She feels him stiffen before doing the same to her, squeezing a little tighter than she did.

"Part of the reason why I like you so much." She continues.

"You know, we never did get to finish that conversation we came out here to have. Since we were rudely interrupted by impending death and all…again." Leo says dryly. There is a long pause before he speaks up again. "Before the avalanche, you said something that confused the hell out me."

"Did I now?" Trinity inquires glancing up at him even though she is unable to see him.

"Yeah, you did. Right before the avalanche, you said that someone like me liking someone like you was an honor. You never did explain why you feel that way." Leo says. Trinity shifts around uncomfortably in his lap.

"Oh, right…that. Let's just say that I've never really expected to get that kind of attention from someone like you." She says. "What I mean by that is…well, Leo you have certain attributes that are very, very different from mine."

Leo snorted, and despite the fact that he could not see her doing so, he knew Trinity was glaring at him. He cleared his throat and says, "Sorry, carry on." He says kindly.

Trinity rolls her eyes and continues. "As I was saying, given _your _personality, and _my _personality it just doesn't make any since that you would like me the way you do. You're just so patient, level headed, and wise, and I'm the exact opposite of that. How would be able to stand me, you deserve someone like you."

It gets quiet for a moment before begins shaking. At first, Trinity does not know what to make of his actions, but it then dawns on her that he is laughing at her.

"So lemme get this straight," Leo says shifting around slightly. "You think that the mutant turtle, that's been living in the sewers of Manhattan for the past 19 years of his of life, and has never in his entire life had a girlfriend is too _good _for you? The girl, who attends Julliard, has lived on the surface her entire life and has been in a relationship before? " He scoffs and shakes his head. "You must have some _pretty _low standards."

Trinity cannot help but laugh at how pathetic and weird that might have sounded to someone who had never gotten to know Leonardo or his family. "Well when you put it like that it sounds kind of…

"Stupid? Insane? Strange? Idiotic?." Leo offers in a flat tone.

"I was actually going to say _odd_." Trinity says in a tight voice, glaring in the direction of Leo's voice. "Besides, I don't exactly have a good history with boyfriends. According to them, I wasn't exactly a keepsake memory. They say that I have "attitude problems.""

Leo scoffs. "You do." He says with a small laugh. Trinity gasps and slaps him on his arm as hard she can with her numb fingers.

"_But_," He continues. "There also happen to be good things about you. Things that overshadow that." He says honestly and considerately. "But what I like the most about you is how you don't let anything stop you from going after what you want. You never go down without a fight. You're so outgoing and determined. I admire that. Everyone has their issues, Trinity. But everyone also has their strengths, and if you haven't found someone who can appreciate yours than you've been dating the wrong guys. It's not them who deserved better, it's you."

Trinity's breath hitches. She feels something wet on her face, and is confused for a moment before realizing that they are her own tears. She is left speechless by Leo's kind words. She frees her hand from is and feels around in the darkness for the flashlight. She turns it on and points it in Leo's direction so she can look him in the eyes. Having grown accustomed to his dark surroundings, Leo flinches at the light and turns away before his eyes are able to adjust.

"What are you trying to do? _Blind me_?!" He asks her rubbing his eyes. Trinity does not respond, she only swallows and leans in closer to Leo.

"Do you mean _really _mean that Leo?" She asks in a low, shaky voice.

Leo immediately grows serious. "You really think I would ever lie to you?" Trinity opens her mouth to respond but Leo cuts her off by placing a finger on her lips. "Yeah, on second thought, don't answer that." He says with a smile. They share a small laugh before growing sober again and looking at each other. Leo raises his hand to Trinity's face and cups her face. "I meant every word." He says rubbing his thumb over her cheek. The two find themselves in a very familiar position. Sitting in silence, staring into each other's eyes.

Only this time, something is different.

Leo's hand suddenly slides to back of Trinity's neck and he slowly begins pulling her towards him; and she, unable to help it, allows him.

Suddenly Leo's mind is racing with thoughts, while the world appears to be going in slow motion.

_Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. You _idiot! Why _did you do this_? _You don't know how to kiss a _girl_! What if I do it wrong?! What if she doesn't feel anything?! What if she _hates _it?!_

Despite the high amount of panic in his mind, Leo's body is calm as he continues to bring Trinity in closer, still moving slowly.

This was a moment he has pictured in his head, and occasionally even _dreamed _about many times before. Whenever he pictured it, he was always in control. In control of his emotions. In control of his thoughts. He was brave. He always felt so confidant and positive that nothing could ruin that moment. Now, he felt nothing like that. Now, he felt confused. Anxious. Scared even.

They leaning closer and closer, when suddenly; they pause.

Their noses are almost touching now.

They are both looking at each other. On their faces, a mixture of ambiguousness, shock, and desire.

Leo opens his mouth so say…something. Something about how they could wait, perhaps? Something about how he was unsure this was right, given the biological difference between them? Something about how, if she does not want to do this he'll understand?

He never gets to chance say whatever is trying to escape his throat, because before he can, Trinity grabs his face in her hands and plunges into him.

When their lips meet, they almost pull away at the shock that went through them both, but instead, only pull each other closer.

Trinity gently nudges Leo's tongue with her own. Leo, figuring that it only makes since, returns the gesture, and soon they are going back and forth, as they battle for control.

After a few moments Leo gently tugs her away.

"Hey…are you sure you and I should be doing this?" Leo asks stupidly. He immediately regrets saying such a thing when Trinity pulls away and deadpans. "It's just that…I'm a mutant and you're. If you wanna stop-

"Leo!" Trinity interrupts sounding annoyed. He looks at her sheepishly and she gives him a lopsided smile. "Shut up." She says softly, still wearing the smile. She leans back in, and they resume kissing, only this time, Leo does not interrupt. Trinity wraps her arms around his neck tightly, as he does the same to her waist.

He smiles against her lips as he pulls closer, focusing only on her. Completely forgetting the cold, dark cave surrounding him.

_Oh well. _He thinks to himself. _No turning back now._

* * *

The front door of the farmhouse flew open, causing April it jump from where she sat in the kitchen, anxiously waiting the return of their make shift search party. She sat in the chair rapidly tapping her foot on the floor, and wrapping the end of her red hair around her finger until it turned purple and she released it. Letting the blood flow back to it, before repeating the movement again. A rather strange thing she does whenever she is nervous, or afraid. Despite the words of encouragement Master Splinter gave her, she was still scared fir the lives if her little brother and Trinity. Even Master Splinter seemed to have trouble believing his words.

The front door slams shut and moments later, Raphael storms in. Covered in snow and wearing a vicious snarl on his face, muttering a string of curses under his breath as he stomped loudly into the kitchen to where Master Splinter and April were. There was no need to ask how the search had went. Mikey, Don and Casey followed him looking tired and distraught. They were all shivering and just as Raph was, covered in snow. Casey's dark hair was practically blanketed in the stuff. He sat down at the table with a loud sigh and let his head fall to where his arms are folded on the table.

Don and Mikey did not look any better, in fact, they looked much worse.

Mikey, normally the one to find a way to put a smile on everyone's face in these types of situations was deathly silent. His sky blue eyes were ridden with sadness, rather than the joy that had found an almost permanent home in them. He swallows and sniffles before making a choking sound that could have been him trying to hold back a sob. He feels a gentle hand on his shoulder and looks up to see April offering him a steaming mug. She had forced a small smile onto her face, and Mikey did the same as he graciously accepted the mug and took a long sip. Not even bothering to blow it first or even check to see what it is.

After a few moments, Don is the first to speak. "There was an avalanche, out there." He says to the floor, his voice dry and morose. "There has be at _least _a hundred feet of snow out there, and Leo and Trinity could be anywhere under it, with the blizzard going on, that's only gonna make that stuff harder to dig through."

"How bout some good news, braniac." Raph snarled under his breath, glaring at his younger, purple clad brother. Donnie clenches his fist and exhales sharply. He didn't need this right now. He acknowledges his brother with a simple glance before turning away and continuing in a tight voice. "The blizzard is making it way too hard to find them. We can barely see anything, and they probably wouldn't be able to hear in us calling them."

There was the sound of the legs of a chair being pushed across the floor and ever turned to see Raph standing up, his fist balled tightly on the table as he stares at Donnie. "So what are ya sayin? That we're just gonna give up?!" He spits out.

Donnie turns to him with a look of shock and anger on his face. "No we're not gonna _give up_! It just so happens that that's _my _brother out there too Raph! Of course I'm not gonna _give up! _ All I'm saying is that if we're gonna be any use to them, we'll have to wait until the blizzard is over to continue the search!"

"Who knows when the damnblizzard could be over!?" Raph shoots back him. Not even trying to restrain himself from yelling. "By that time, Leo could be dead for all we know! He ain't exactly built for cold weather! None of us are! He's probably out there freezing his fucking ass off and we ain't doin shit about it!"

"He's with Trinity, Raph. She's warm-blooded. I'm sure he has enough since to use that to his advantage." Don replies, managing to keep his voice quiet but still seethes with anger and annoyance as he speaks. "Besides, how useful are we going to be to them if we can't see three feet in front of us and can barely even hear each other?"

"Donnie we can't just here and waste time they don't have! I'm telln ya, this ain't the best option!"

"Enough!" Master Splinter hisses at bickering sons, slamming his walking stick down on the floor. "Senseless arguing will not help your brother _or _Ms. Love. If we are to be of any help to them we must calm down." Master Splinter turns to Raph and sighs. "I understand you anger my son, I am afraid that your brother's decision is right. There just isn't much we can do as of now."

"It may not be the best option the way you see it, but it is our _only_ option. We were getting absolutely nowhere out there." Don says. His voice now trembling. He sighs and buries his head in his hands. He feels a firm hand on his shoulder and looks over to find Raph with an apologetic look on his face.

"Geez Donnie, I'm sorry. It's just…._damn _I'm pissed right now!" He says taking his hand off Don's shoulder and plopping down in the chair next to him.

"You guys didn't find any tracks or _anything_?" April asks.

Donnie shook his head and shrugged. "If there were some they were probably buried by the avalanche. And even if they weren't, like I said, it was impossible to see much of anything in that blizzard. But it's not all blizzards last forever. This one could be over in a few minutes for all we know." Don says trying to manage an encouraging voice.

Casey releases a frustrated growl and slams the table. "This sucks nuts! Is there seriously no other way we can track them down?!"

Mikey sets his mug down and looks up. His face drains of its color, before it lights up and his eyes go wide. "That's it! _Nuts_! Casey you're a genius! I can't _believe _I didn't think of this!" Mikey says, pouncing on the dark haired man and giving him a quick hug. He releases Casey and runs to a cabinet. He begins tossing cans and boxes of hot chocolate behind him carelessly.

"Hey!" Raph calls after him. He ducks to avoid being hit in the face by a pack of Ramen noodles. "What's the big idea, doofus? This is no time for snacks!"

"Nuts. Nuts. Gotta find the nuts." Mikey mutters to himself, ignoring Raphael and the strange looks his getting. At the very back of the cabinet he finally finds a bag of nuts. "Nuts!" He cries happily. He grabs the package and out of the kitchen. He charges upstairs as everyone remaining in the kitchen exchanges glances with each other, hoping one of them has an explanation for Mikey's actions.

Before any of them are able to answer each other, Mikey appears downstairs again with two items in his hand that can be recognized as Leo's light blue bandana and one of Trinity's boots. With the items in his hand, he goes outside on the porch, allowing a strong gust wind to enter the farmhouse. He stand on the porch and begins making strange noises. An odd mix of what sounds like a whale call and a roar.

His companions remain inside, staring after him, bewildered.

Don looks over at April and Master Splinter for answer. Master Splinter simply sighs and begins to massage his temples. He then focusing his attention on April who just shrugs. "I...I got nothing. He's lost it." She says simply.

The strange noise once again sounds from outside, only this time sounding louder and even more realistic and animal like.

Finally, everyone decides enough is enough and approach the front door.

"Michelangelo! What is the meaning of this…behavior?! Get inside _right now_!" Master Splinter shouts authoritatively. Mikey just looks back and smiles.

"I'm helping Sensei!" He says joyfully.

"How the hell is you grabbing a bag if nuts, a shoe, a bandana then coming out here in the cold and having a mental breakdown gonna help?!" Raph says angrily.

Mikey turns around and his smile grows wider. "Remember the first time we came up here after Shredder attacked Leo and blew up April's building?" He asks casually.

"Of course we remember, _dipstick_ how can we forget?" Raph replies tired and upset.

"Remember that crazy monster hunter lady we ran into?" Mikey continues.

"That was a female?" Master Splinter asks himself quietly, with disbelief on his face. Mikey ignores the question and continues. "Remember the so called "monster" she was after? The Green Man?"

"Yes. Mikey what is the point of all this? How is it gonna help us find Leo and Trinity?" Don asks sounding tired and confused.

"I'm _getting to that_." Mikey shoots back with annoyance evident in his voice. "So, as you all know, the green man was actually a green woman, and she still wander these woods. I…happen to get along with her." Mikey says slyly.

Everyone's face fill with horror as Mikey's intentions click in their heads. Don is the first to speak, his voice shaky and barely a whisper. "Mikey…_please _tell me you aren't doing what I think you are."

Before Mikey can respond, they hear the sound of snow crunching as something rapidly approaches the farmhouse. In the distance, they are able to make out a figure running towards them. It looks like a tall, slender gorilla. Charging at them, at full speed on all four of its legs.

Within seconds it appears right front of them. A large mound of green fur, with two beady, black eyes. Its mouth in the form of a snarl, revealing its teeth. They are not sharp, but instead large and flat; made for crushing bones rather than ripping off flesh. Its wild eyes pass over everyone, trying to decide if they are a threat or not.

"Hey there, peanut. Long time, no see, huh buddy?" Mikey says kindly.

"Peanut", as the beast had been introduced looks down at Mikey, and immediately, changes its mood. It turns its attention away from the others and instead nuzzles Mikey affectionately. Mikey laughs and tries to push the creature off. Everyone else stands by, watching the exchange, not sure what to make of it all.

Quaking in fear, Casey slow leans down to April. "I-I think I need new pants…but I'm too scared to move." Casey whispers in April's ear. April looks at him and shakes her head before turning her attention back to the green, creature in front of her.

"Everyone, this is my friend Peanut. Peanut, this is everyone. Say hi everyone!" Mikey says happily, not bothered at all by the green monster. There is a small murmur of hellos from his companions, as they stay huddled together.

"I was thinking that Peanut could help us find Leo and Trinity! She has a great sense of smell, she's built for weather like this, and she's really good at digging. She can get Leo and Trinity's scents, then go out, and find them! Great idea right?" Mikey says, hoping for an answer.

Instead, Casey's eyes roll to the back of his skull and he falls forward, landing on his stomach and hitting the ground with a thud.

"Mikey…" Don begins shakily. "What the _hell _is wrong with you? This is a _wild _animal."

Peanut looks at Don growls in protest before whimpering and turning away. "Shhh, don't call her that, she doesn't like it!" Mikey whispers as strokes Peanut's fur.

"Okay then when exactly did you _train_…Peanut?" Don asks glancing at the creature. Peanut plops down in the snow and takes an interest in Casey who is still lying on the ground, as she begins to lick his exposed hair, as trying to groom him.

"When I visited her! You didn't think I was just gonna turn my back on her after that day did you?" Mikey asks bending down to pet his apparent pet.

"Actually, yes! We did!" Raph shoots back at him. "How the hell did you even find that thing again!"

"Well, I wanted to see her again, so I went out in the woods a few days after we met her, to see if I could find her again. She found me instead, took me back to her borough and we've been friends ever since. I taught her how to come when I call her and how to use her sense of smell. I visit her and train her a little every winter. It was easy, like training a dog."

"And it never occurred to tell us about this because, why exactly?" April asks him.

Mikey shrugs. "You wouldn't have let keep visiting her. You would have torn us apart! I couldn't let that happen. She needed me. It was hard for her to find food during the winter."

"Look, she's pretty much our only help of finding the others. Unless you guys have any _better _ideas." Mikey says standing up and crossing his arms. "Besides, do we have to lose?"

"An arm. A leg. Possibly our lives." Don says flatly. Mikey sticks his tongue out at Don, before looking at Master Splinter. Everyone looks down at the old rat, knowing that his judgment will be what determines if they can through with the plan. Master Splinter looks down at Peanut, who is still grooming Casey affectionately. She meets Master Splinter gaze for a moment before returning her attention to Casey. Master Splinter sighs and looks over at Mikey. "I pray this woks."

Mikey's face lights up and shouts in victory. "Okay, Peanut! Time to work your magic!" He says. He whistles and Peanut stands up, leaving a still unconscious Casey on the ground, drenched with saliva.

Mikey holds out the bandana and the shoe for Peanut to sniff. She eyes the objects curiously before leaning in and sniffing them both. She suddenly lifts her head in alert and howls towards the woods. The wind begins to slow down a little, and the amount of snowfall begins to decrease.

"The blizzard." April says looking up at the sky. "It's starting to lighten up!"

"Then we better move! We don't know how long it'll stay like that." Raph says. He looks down at Casey and groans before kicking him in his side. "Get up bonehead! We're goin back out."

Casey wakes up looking startled and confused. "Dammit, Raph how many times do I have to tell you not ta-…aw, _gross _what the hell is in my hair?!"

"Peanut's slob. Now come!" Mikey says, helping him up. "We have loved ones to find!" He says heroically. "Take us to them, Peanut!" Mikey says patting Peanut lightly on her back. Peanut makes a movement that almost looks like a nod before taking off ahead of them. Moving quickly, but not fast enough to leave the others behind.

"Good luck with your search, my sons." Master Splinter says. "Please…bring them back." The turtles and their human companion look back at Master Splinter and nod, promising to do exactly that.

Peanut stops, a few yards away from the woods. She looks back at the farmhouse howls as if telling the others to hurry up. Without another word, they all take off after her, and follow her into the woods.

Despite the fact that blizzard was dying down and Mikey, Don, and Raph were running with speed on a true ninja could master, they still struggled to keep up with Peanut as she ran through the forest leading them to where she thought Leo and Trinity were.

"So," Raph says as he aligns himself with Mikey and Don. "You really think this is gonna work?"

"I hope it does, Raph." Don says breathing heavily as he picks up his speed a little. Raph grunts and looks behind him. "Casey, hurry your slow ass up!" He calls to the man lagging a few yards behind them.

"Oh, my bad Raph, forgive me for not having, 19 YEARS OF NINJA TRAINING!" He calls back angrily. "If I run any faster, my legs will off!"

"That's biologically impossible!" Don calls back with a smirk, unable to resist the opportunity to annoy Casey.

"Shut up, Donnie!" Casey retorts from behind, causing the others to laugh. He pants heavily, as he tries to best to keep up with them. "Damn ninjas." He pants to himself. He continues running, but stops when he crashes into something hard and falls into the soft, cold snow.

"Hey what's the big, idea why'd you stop?" He says. He makes an attempt to sit up, but his limbs give out immediately and he falls back onto the ground. He hears snickering from above him, and sees Raph grinning down at him. "Damn, you're old." He says offering his friend a hand.

Casey just scowls at him, but accepts the hand and allows Raph to pull him to his feet. "Thanks man." Casey says patting Raph on the back. "Why'd we stop?"

Before Raph can answer there is the sound of digging, and a wave snow their way. They look ahead of them and see Peanut digging through a mound of snow. Raph and Casey exchange glances before jogging over to where Peanut is digging through a thick mound of snow. Everyone can only watch as she digs, growing in determination every once in a while. The others gather around her and watch in anticipant silence.

After what feels like hours, Peanut finally breaks through the mound, and reveals a cave. She pokes her head inside and sniffs around before bringing it back out and making a howling sound. She goes over to Mikey and prods him the back, pushing him towards the mouth of the cave. Mikey fumbles for his flashlight as his shaking hands try to turn it on, when he finally does he points the beam inside the cave and a smile spreads across his face. "She found them." He says to more to himself rather than anyone else. He turns around, his smile still plastered on his face and says, "She found them!"

Immediately his brothers and Casey are by his side, looking in the cave here sure enough, Leo and Trinity and sitting. Don rushes into the cave, kneels down next to Leo and Trinity and pulls his gloves off. He presses a hand to each of their necks to feel for a pulse. Everyone waits, and watches him for a few agonizing seconds. Finally, Don releases a sigh of relief. "They're alive." He says with a smile, looking up at the concerned faces.

Raph releases his own sigh. He looks in the cave, finally noticing the position of his brother and Trinity and grins. "Well ain't that cute." He says teasingly. Despite the fact the fact joking about it, Raph feels his heart get a little warmer when he sees the scene in front of him.

Trinity and Leo, sitting in the cave, holding each other tightly. Trinity is in Leo's lap, one arm wrapped tightly around his neck, the other on the ground so she can hold hands with him. Leo's arms are snaked around her waist, and his head is resting on the top of her head.

"Alright, enough staring, let's get these two back to the farmhouse. Casey call April and Master Splinter and tell them the good news." Raph says stepping closer to the cave. He stops by Peanut and takes a moment to thank her. He pets her head and gives her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Peanut…you little freak of nature." He says quietly. He looks over at Mikey and pulls him into a brotherly headlock and begins rubbing his head with his knuckles, causing Mikey to laugh as he tries to escape. "Thank you, too shell for brains. One of ya crazy plans finally worked."

He releases Mikey and the two of them along with Casey join Don in the cave. Raph has to struggle to get Trinity to break her hold on Leo. Getting her arm from around her neck was easy enough, but she refused to let go of his hand. After a few minutes of prying and swearing, he finally manages to detach their hands. He figured that was hard enough. Getting Leo to let go was a totally different story. He would subconsciously jerk away and moan. After another long round of prying, they two were finally separated.

Muttering curses about separating the two was much more difficult than it should have been, Raph bends down and gently lifts Trinity into his arms, as Casey hauls Leo over his shoulder. Raph looks outside at the seemingly endless blanket of snow he will have trek across, he then looks down at Trinity and frowns. "This is gonna suck."

"What da hell are _you _complainin for? _I'm _the one who has to carry your heavy ass brotha!" Casey hisses at Raph, shifting Leo around on his shoulder to emphasize his point. "All you gotta do is carry _her_, ya whiny little wimp!"

"Will you two shut up and get moving! We have a lot of ground to cover, and we need to get these back to the farmhouse ASAP." Don says, trying to suppress his grin. He is successful, but Mikey on the other hand is not. Instead, he finds himself snickering at Raph and Casey.

"Easy for you to say." Casey and Raph mutter in unison. The group makes their way out of the cave and once again begins their trek through the snow. Despite the fact that the walk takes twice as long this time, they finally manage to make it back to the farmhouse. Don, Raph and Casey enter the farmhouse with Leo and Trinity while Mikey stays outside with Peanut. He scratches her behind her ears and she makes a pleased purring like noise as she nuzzles him affectionately. "You did good tonight girl." He says reaching into his pocket. He pulls the package of nuts and pours some into his hand before allowing her to eat out of his palm. He gives her the entire bag before patting her arm. "Go home and get some rest now girl." He says to her quietly.

Peanut licks Mikey on his cheek before nuzzling him one last time before taking off towards the woods. Mikey watches her until she vanishes into the dense collection of trees and heads inside. The moment he gets inside, April crushes him in a hug.

"I know, I know." He says returning her hug. "My plan was awesome." He boast playfully.

"Indeed it was my son." Master Splinter says placing a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "Your cleverness has saved the lives of your brother as well Ms. Love. For that, we all thank you."

"Ya did pretty good out there, dumbass." Raph says punching Mikey in the shoulder lightly. Everyone in the room nodded in agreement and gave him warm smiles.

"Well of course my plan worked! What else is there expect from, THE BATTLE NEXUS CHAMPION!" Mikey says triumphantly. Raph's grin vanishes and he scowls. "That's it! Hallmark time is over!" Mikey emits a girly scream before fleeing from a seething Raph, the two vanish into the kitchen filling the house with screams.

Master Splinter sighs and shakes his head. "Well that did not last very long." He says as he grabs his walking stick. "Let us all get some rest, we are all in need of a good night's rest."

"What about Leo and Trinity?" Mikey asks despite the fact that he would nothing more than two forget the world and collapse into a bed.

"They'll be fine Mikey." Don says giving him a reassuring smile. "We already got them into bed. The only thing we had to worry about was them staying warm through the night. With the extra blankets and the heaters we put in their rooms, they have nothing to worry-

"Good." Casey interrupts deciding he had heard what he needed to. "Well! G'night guys, I'm hittin the sack. I am exhausted." Without any other words he begins walking up the stairs with April in tow. She looks over her shoulder and giving those remaining in the room and bright smile and a friendly wave before disappearing into the upstairs hallway.

Raph stands up next, stretching and yawning. "Well, I don't know about you two losers but I'm beat. I'm goin ta bed. Wake me up before noon and you die."

"Love you too, big bro." Mikey says with a smile. Don and Master Splinter tell him good night as he leaves the room.

Don and Mikey disperse to their own rooms not too soon after Raph leaving only Master Splinter in the living room.

Using his walking stick, he got to his feet and made his way over to the stairs. Before he reaches the top he could already hear the chorus snores that he come to love over the years. They started out as a constant hindrance to his sleep but as time passed it had become a somewhat lullaby for him, knowing his sons were all sleeping peacefully.

Before proceeding, he stops by Leonardo's room and steps inside quietly, trying not to wake him up. He is pleased to find him just the way he left him; lying in bed with several blankets tucked under his chin, snoring lightly.

Master Splinter was normally not one to think about the more personal aspect of the lives of his son, but he could not help but wonder how Leo and Trinity had interacted in the cave. His mind had been buzzing with questions about the two ever since While he had never spoken much about it, he knew the feeling Leo and Trinity had for each other; he was curious about what they had done while trapped there the entire time. He was especially curious about how they were going to treat each other when they woke up the next morning.

Pushing the subject out of his head, he places a light kiss on Leo's forehead as he sleeps. Even now that his sons are now adults, it is still a habit refuses to stop. "Watashi no musuko wa yoku yasumu*." He whispers to Leo in a warm, fatherly voice. He leaves Leo's room, quietly closing the door behind him. He is on his way to his room when he stops and pauses in front of Trinity's bedroom door.

He gently turns the knob and opens the door. He enters and finds Trinity's slumbering body has not hesitated to make itself more comfortable. Her face is half buried in the pillow and both of her arms are dangling off the edge of the bed. The tangled, messy hair covering her face is apparently no hindrance to her as she lays there, snoring rather loudly and not making any attempt to move it.

Master Splinter makes his way over the side of her bed and sighs. He realizes that he has much to thank the young woman for. From what Donatello had told him and the others, had it not been for the extra warmth Trinity provided for Leonardo, the chances of his cold-blooded, reptilian body surviving through the night would have been very slim, perhaps even impossible.

Smiling warmly and placing a paw on her shoulder, he looks at her, and with his voice filled with thankfulness, happiness and relief; he whispers to her softly, a tender thank you, before leaving her room and heading to his own.

As he makes his way down the hall, the nagging voice in the back of his head once again brings up the subject regarding Leo and Trinity's relationship. While he knew it was none of his business he could not shake the feelings of the negative outcomes that could accompany being in a relationship, or Trinity deicing against doing so.

The last thing he wanted was to see Leonardo hurt because of failing to have a successful relationship with Trinity. He has witnessed firsthand what the rejection by the woman a man has feelings for, can drive him to do, and winces in pain as he recalls the tragic outcome of the event from his past.

While he is sure that Leonardo would never stoop as low as to commit the acts Yukio Mashimi did, he still knew that it would still devastate him. But on the other hand, there was always the possibility that things could go smoothly. There was a chance the two could be happy together and that it their relationship would not result in disaster.

Master Splinter sighs.

So many different possibilities, yet no way to predict which one was most likely to happen.

Therefore, like many things in the life of the Hamato family, there was no way of saying what could happen in the future. As usual, Master Splinter has to wait for the answers that only time can give him.

* * *

**(A/N) Another long chapter! Review please! **

*** Rest well, my son. **


	16. Chapter 16

Leonardo had to blink his eyes several times before his vision finally came into focus. The very moment he began waking up, he knew he was no longer in the cave that the avalanche had trapped him in. He felt more comfortable, relaxed and warm. He felt the lack of multiple layers weighing him down and despite the fact that he was only semi-conscious, he almost smiled.

When his vision finally decided to cooperate, he found himself staring at a familiar wooden ceiling of what he chose to be his room at the farmhouse. He heard a weak moan and a few moments later, a green face with an orange bandanna wrapped around its head appeared over him. The head cocked sideways and leaned in closer before a large grin appeared.

"You woke up!" said a voice that Leo was relieved to identify as Mikey's. Leo gave his youngest brother a weak smile, and before he could do anything else, Mikey's weight crushed him, wrapping him in a warm, brotherly hug.

"Good to see you to, bro," Leo said, patting his brother's shell weakly. "But you're kind of killing me here," he choked out. Mikey released him immediately and sat on the side of the bed with a sheepish smile. Leo returned his smile, sitting up slightly.

"How did you guys find us?" Leo asked Mikey, recalling how bad the weather had been and how much snow had fell. "That was a lot of snow, and that blizzard was _terrible_. None of you got hurt out there, did you?!" Leo demanded. Mikey smiled and allowed himself a small laugh. Leo had only been awake for five minutes, and he was already in his protective big brother mode. Typical.

"We're _fine _bro. We've dealt with much worse than some stupid blizzard. You can thank Peanut for that." Leo sighed with relief, but that lasted for about two seconds before his eyes went wide again. "What about Trinity?! Where is she?! Is she-?!"

"She's fine man, chill," Mikey said coolly, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Slept like a baby up until an hour ago…well if babies sleep with like, half their body hanging out the bed muttering stuff about Cam Newton all while snoring like a tugboat. She's out in the barn, "calming her nerves"."

Leo tensed for a moment at the thought of Trinity going out alone, but then he reminded himself that it was very unlikely she would caught in an avalanche in the barn and nodded. "Where's everyone else?" he asked.

"Don and Raph are downstairs with Sensei, and April dragged Casey to town so she could pick up something for dinner," Mikey replied casually.

Leo nodded and then said, "So, back to my question; how'd you guys find us?"

Mikey smiled and shrugged. "Wasn't too hard. We had some help from a _friend_ of mine," Mikey said impishly. "I'll let you thank her later. Right now, the others need to know that you're up. Be right back."

Mikey stood up and went over to the door. He opened it and poked his head out the doorway. "HEY EVERYBODY! LEO WOKE UP!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, causing Leo to wince. Later, he could've sworn that he was completely deaf for about two seconds.

"YA COULDA TOLD US THAT WITHOUT MAKIN US GO DEAF, YA MORON! WE AIN'T THAT FAR AWAY!" Raph's gruff voice bellowed from downstairs. Leo winced again and hissed in annoyance at the yelling. But he wasn't able to hold back the smile on his face when he realized that just hours ago, he was afraid that he would never hear it again and decided that it was actually soothing and relaxing to hear rather than annoying.

The hallway filled with the sound of Raph and Don coming up the stairs. Moments later, Raph appeared in the front of the doorway along with Don and Master Splinter, who regard Leo with relieved and kind smiles. They all made their way over to him; Raph stopped and mindlessly slapped Mikey in the back of the head before looking at Leo and smiling. He made his way in and sat down on the edge of the bed, followed by Don, Master Splinter and Mikey, who was rubbing the back of his head with a grimace on his face.

"Bout time ya woke up," Raph said, nudging Leo, speaking in what all of his brothers considered his "friendly" voice.

"It is indeed very good to see you are awake my son," Master Splinter agreed, placing a hand Leo's arm. "We were all very concerned."

"Yeah, Leo. You out slept Raph _and _Casey," Don said with a small smile. Don accepted a warm thermos from Master Splinter and handed it to Leo. "Chicken soup," Master Splinter explained as Leo eyed the container with a curious look. "Or at least what your greedy brothers left you," Master Splinter finished, glaring at Mikey, Raph and Don.

"Hey, I couldn't help it! April made it!" Mikey yelled in protest with an innocent look on his face as Don and Raph nodded in agreement. "The woman can make some damn good chicken soup!"

Leo rolled his eyes and shook his head as he unscrewed the cap off the thermos. "Living with you guys does _wonders _for my diet, you know that," he says as he took a sip. Everyone chuckled before sobering up and growing silent. Then, after looking at one another, they all looked at Leo and smirked.

"So Leo," Don started, clearing his throat. "You and Trinity were in that cave for **quite **a while. What** did** you guys do to pass the time?" he asked, his smirk growing wider as Mikey and Raph snickered. Leo's face turned red as he recalled the time he and Trinity spent together in the cave; holding each other tightly. He blushed even brighter when he recalled the kiss they'd shared. But there was no way in **shell** he was gonna confess that to his three, nosy brothers with his father standing in the room.

"Seriously?! _That's _the first question you asked! Shouldn't you be treating me like Patient X or something?!" Leo hissed as Don. Don only shrugged and propped his chin on his fist, still waiting for an answer.

"I think that it is time I go," Master Splinter said suddenly, smiling and standing to leave. Leo gave him a look, begging him not to leave him to face his brothers alone. But Master Splinter only chuckled and left the room, leaving Leo at the mercy at of his brothers.

"Come on, Leo! Don't try and tell me nothing happened! When we found you guys, you were cuddling and didn't wanna let go of each other," Mikey told him, smirking at his brother.

"Hey! We were** not** _cuddling_! We were huddling to conserve body heat!" Leo shot back defensively.

"Riiiiiiight. Come on Leo, we're your _brothers_. You can tell us what went down in there," Mikey urged, punching in the arm playfully with a large grin. "What happened?! Did you confess? Did _she _confess? Did you two kiss?!"

Leo's face was now practically glowing, the red on his cheeks looking as bright as Christmas lights. He turned his face away from his shocked brothers, hoping that they hadn't noticed. Unfortunately for him, that was not the case.

The room filled with silence as his three brothers stared at him, their mouths trying to decide if they should be smirking teasingly or frozen in the shape of an O in shock. Eventually, of course, they were all in favor of making their eldest brother even more mortified, and the room filled with their roaring laughter.

"Look…look at how much he's _blushing_!" Mikey choked out between giggles, pointing a finger at Leo's crimson face.

"Will you guys stop it?! It's not a big deal," Leo muttered, giving his brothers a dangerous glare. They all sobered up, took one look at the grimace on his flushed face and immediately began roaring in laughter again. Leo grabbed a pillow from beside him, and in a fit of frustration, chucked it at Don, who toppled out of his chair and fell onto the floor.

"Okay guys. We've had our fun," Don said, standing up and sitting back down in his chair, still chuckling slightly. Mikey wiped away a tear of laughter as Raph gasped for air.

"You guys are the _worst_, you know that? I just woke up from a coma after being trapped in a cave by an avalanche and the first thing you do is tease me about it!" Leo scolded once his brothers were finally done laughing at him. "Just, horrible, _horrible_, little things. _I'm _the oldest! How come I never get to torment _you _guys?!"

"Because aside from being the oldest, you're also the lamest. It goes against your lame nature to torment anyone," Raph replied in a serious tone but with a smile on his face.

"Oh, shut up, Brony! Shouldn't you be watching you stupid Sparkle-twilight dolls?!" Leo retorted, causing Raph's smile to twist into a grimace. He got up and leaned in very closely to Leonardo's face.

"Okay, you went through a lot of crap last night, so I'll let you have that one. But seriously Leo, you gotta tell us what went down between you two in that cave." Raph says turning his chair around and sitting on it backwards.

Leo is about to object but looks at his brothers pleading faces and frowns. "I don't know, we were just sitting there talking, next thing I know she kisses me. It just…_happened_."

"Really?" Mikey questions raising an eye ridge. Obviously not believing his brother's explanation. Don and Raph appear to be doubting the short story as well. They shake their heads staring at Leo, who groans and bangs his head on the back of the headboard.

"Okay, fine." He says with obvious annoyance in his voice, knowing there was no escape from giving his brothers an explanation. "She left the house with me the other afternoon because she wanted to talk to me about where our relationship stands. She was confused since a certain someone went and blurted out my business to her." Leo says glancing over at Mikey. "Anyways, long story short, she talked about how she felt I deserved better than her. I told she was wrong, she thought it was sweet and then she kissed me."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. She said _you _deserved better?!" Raph asked in disbelief. He scoffed and shook his head. "She must have some pretty low standards."

"That's what I said, but it sounds offensive coming from you, so shut up!" Leo snapped, narrowing his eyes at Raph.

"Well it's true! I mean, thinking a guy who considers meditation fun is too good for you? Girl needs a self-esteem boost," Mikey replied teasingly.

"You aren't exactly a perfect catch yourself, Mr. I-Can-Play-Video-Games-For-Three-Days-Straight!" Leo countered, narrowing his eyes at Mikey.

"Not a perfect catch?! Bitch please! If I was human, I'd be da number one bachelor in the Big Apple! The ladies wouldn't be able to get enough of the Mikester!" Mikey boasted, grinning and nodding. His brothers just looked at him and then laughed before Don and Raph took turns slapping him in the back of his head. "What?! It's true!" Mikey insisted, rubbing the back of his head. "I'd get more action than Raph would if _he _was human! His _cell mate _wouldn't even wouldn't even wanna –!"

Mikey was tackled to the ground before he was able to finish the insult. He and Raph rolled around on the floor as they fought, which mainly consisted of Mikey screaming and begging for mercy while Raph ignored him and continued to repeatedly hit him.

Leo rolled his eyes and climbed out of bed, feeling much better than he did before. He stepped over the pile of wrestling brothers on the floor and looked back at Don. "I need to go someplace quiet and think. Make them stop wrestling and try to keep them quiet for the rest of the day, will you?" Leo said.

Don raised his eye ridges and looked, down at Raph and Mikey, catching Raph in the act of strangling Mikey with his own arm while slapping Mikey in the head with the other. He looked back at Leo and chuckled, "I'm a genius Leo, not a miracle worker." He stood up and walked over to the door with Leo, leaving Mikey and Raph alone in the room to continue their brawl. After a brief nod between the two brothers, Leo hurried down the stairs and into the living room where he prepared to go outside.

"And just where are you off to in such a hurry my son?"

Leo, for some strange reason, wasn't the least bit surprised to look to his side and find his father sitting on the coffee table meditating. His eyes were squeezed shut as he faced the direction opposite of Leo, but one of his ears was perked up in alert. He broke his form and slid off of the coffee table to face Leonardo with stern, concerned eyes.

"Have you not learned your lesson from the last time you decided to take a walk outside?" Master Splinter joked. Despite the fact that he was kidding, he still had a sense of urgency to his voice, indirectly demanding an answer from Leo.

Leo smiled and rolled his eyes. "I _did _learn my lesson, thank you very much. And I'm only going out to the barn."

Master Splinters eyes lit up and his lips twitched into a small smile. "The barn? Why whatever for my son?" he asked casually.

Leo tensed and began to shift uncomfortably where he stood. "Oh no reason. Just to do some... barn…stuff."

"Barn stuff?" Master Splinter repeated. He cocked his head sideways as he pretended to be confused, repeating the words to himself quietly. Finally, he just shrugged and returned to his meditation.

Leo huffed and rolled his eyes as he exited the farmhouse as Master Splinter laughed to himself.

He regretted not grabbing his boots as the snow crunched beneath his already numb feet. But he refused to go back into the house to grab them. With his luck, his brothers were down there now waiting for him to return so they could continue to tease him. So instead, he marched over the barn, hissing as the snow nipped at his toes.

As he approached the barn, he found himself hearing faint music coming from the inside. He knitted his non-existent eye-brows in confusion as he approached. By the time he reached the front door, he found himself humming along to the tune. He opened the door and slipped inside silently. He wasn't trying to sneak around, but being a ninja, it was something he did naturally.

A song blasted from the speakers of a beat-up radio that reminded Leo of the robots sounded in cheesy horror movies Mikey would make him watch. In the center of the barn was Trinity. She had on sweat pants and a long sleeved, V-neck white top, her brown hair flowing freely over her shoulders.

Her moves were fierce and percussive as she moved to beat of music. She transitioned across the floor in a way that made it seem like she was levitating a few inches above the ground. At times her body seemed to ripple, like a gentle wave that traveled from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. For the span of that one movement, her body would move smoothly and gracefully, but once she was finished, she would return to her regular percussive form.

Leo began to circle her and observe. Her eyes met his several times, but she never regarded him with any type of greeting; she just continued to be lost in her own world.

"You're..._really_ good at that," Leo said suddenly as he crossed arms and took a few steps back.

"Thanks. I've had a lot of practice at it in the 12 years I've been doing it," she replied in a dull-sounding voice as if she were bored with the conversation. But Leo didn't really mind; he was too busy to care. He was too invested in watching Trinity as she danced.

"Are you making this up as you go along?" he asked as he continued to circle her.

"Yup. The key is to not think while you do it. Just move, you know," she said. She stood with her legs apart and began to move only her shoulders and her face. Jerking from left to right with her shoulders, while keeping every other part of her body still.

"This doesn't look anything like what you showed me that day in the training room. How is this like being a ninja? See that! What you're doing with your leg? I can't do that. _How _are doing that?" Leo asked as he watched her leg in awe. It twitched back and forth to the rapid beat of the music, synchronizing with it perfectly as her shoulders moved up and down with the rhythm.

"Took me a while to master that. Glad all the work paid off," she answered with a hint of a smile in her voice. "So, I take it you didn't just use your physic powers to find out I was dancing and come in here to watch. You wanna talk about the cave don't you?"

Leo leaned against the wall and sighed. "Do we really have a choice?"

"Nope. So, let's talk," Trinity says bluntly as she continued to dance.

Leo looked up at her and raised a non-existent eyebrow. "It's gonna be kind of difficult if I'm distracted by your hip-hop, android dancing." Leo replied with a motion towards her. Trinity looked like she shrugged, but it could have just been the way her shoulders bounced up and down to the music.

Leo turned to the radio and frowned. "What _is _that? It sounds likes robots having group sex at a rave."

"Daft Punk. Human after all," Trinity replied sharply as she continued to dance. It was almost as if she were in her own world as she danced. Her face was frozen in determination as her body moved across the floor. Her movements were robotic yet smooth somehow.

"_How _can you listen to that stuff? It's so-!"

"Do _not_ insult Daft Punk! Keep that up, and you're gonna have a hard time getting along with me when we're dating!" Trinity shot back in anger. Her moves seemed to became angry as well. She jerked her body around so hard, and so quickly that Leo thought one of her arms would fly right out of its socket.

"I was not _insulting _them! I was just…wait! What do you mean "when we're dating"? We haven't talked this over yet!"

"_Talked it over_?! Haven't we done enough _talking_?! We've already bared our souls to each other; for God's sake, Leonardo, we've already kissed! What more is there to _talk _about?!" Trinity shot back. She crossed her ankles and dropped to floor, right before her knees hit the floor she sprung back up onto one foot. She grabbed an invisible hand hold and yanked herself back onto both her feet.

"There's _a lot _more to talk about, Trinity! Don't you realize this isn't as simple for me as it is for you?!" Leo protested, his own anger causing his blood to begin to boil.

"It was simple when you confessed to me back in the cave! It was simple when we kissed! What? Was all of that just panicky, "we're gonna die" bullshit? Cuz, if it was, that is _not _cool!" Trinity replied. She spoke each word with venom.

Leo hesitated before he answered. He had never really thought of the possibility that he only kissed Trinity because, at that moment, he felt it was the last thing he wanted to do if he was going to die in that cave. But now that he had been rescued, now that he knew he had better chances to live to see the next day, he began to have doubts. Millions of thoughts rushed through his mind at once, each one demanded to be given the most attention. He thought of how difficult it would be for Trinity to be in a romantic relationship with a mutant. He thought of how much danger she would be in if the Foot Clan found out she was his girlfriend. How easily she could dump him for a human when she realized that dating a mutant was a mistake. He was not willing to put Trinity in danger, nor was he willing to set himself up for heartbreak.

"You want the truth?" he asked her in a small voice.

"Yes, please."

Leo puffed out a deep breath and clenched his fist. "I'm…I'm scared."

Finally, Trinity stopped dancing. She looked up at Leo, her face covered with sweat. She walked over to the radio and shut off, causing the barn to become silent. Trinity turned to face Leo and began to slowly approach him. She leaned next to him on the wall and frowned at him.

"Of what?" she asked softly.

Leo locked her gaze in his own eyes and sighed. "Everything," He said in a small voice. "What I said in the cave was true. I do like you. I like you a lot. So much that, when time comes that a _human _catches your attention and I can't compete with him and you slip away from me...Because if that happens…and I have a pretty good feeling that it will, I'll be crushed. I'm just not ready for that. I'm not ready to face the pain of losing you to someone else." Leo chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Ugh, I sound like a stupid romance novel."

He expected Trinity laugh and toss in her own insult, but instead she growled and scowled at him. Before he even knew what was happening Trinity raised her hand slapped him right across his face. "How dare you!"

At first, Leo had no idea what to do. He placed a hand over his burning cheek and stared at Trinity, his face trying to decide between expressing pain, anger or shock. It was apparently indecisive as all three emotions faded on and off Leo's face.

"What the _hell _was that for?!" he finally manage to yell.

Rather than respond, Trinity launched herself at Leo gave hugged him tightly. She pulled away and her eyes were wet with tears. "You big jerk! That's the most beautiful thing anyone's ever told me!" she said as she began to rub his sell.

Leo stood there baffled and began to rub his cheek. "Um…okay. Isn't all the more reason for you to _not _slap me?!"

Trinity pulled away from him and laughed. "I slapped you because you let me think that you didn't really like me, and that you lied to me back in the cave! If you were scared, you should've just said so, Leo."

Trinity sat down on a bench next to them and pulled Leo down with her. She took one of his hands in hers and held it tightly. "Leo, losing someone you care about is something that can happen to _anyone_. There are about seven billion other people who would back me up on that. Just because you're a mutant doesn't make your chances of losing me greater than anyone else's. If anything, it makes them slimmer. You and your brothers aren't complete jerks like humans are." She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb and scooted closer to him. "I like _you, _Leo. I like the guy I met online a year ago who I thought was sweet, noble, caring, supportive. Unless any of that changes because you're a mutant, than I see no reason why I should let the fact that you're not human change how I feel about you."

She placed on of her hands on the side face, and ran it across this leathery skin. She heard Leo emit a light moan at her touch and smiled. "I believe in us, Leo," she whispered softly. She leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on the red mark that covered Leo's left cheek.

When her lips touched his skin, even though it was only his cheek, Leo felt his insides turn to mush and his body go slack. When he looked in her forest green eyes, he found that he believed her. He saw genuine hope for a future in them. Several voice in his head screamed at him to turn her away, but the more he looked at her, the more the more faded until they were nothing more than a bitter echo in his head.

Just like that, he had made his decision.

"I have one condition," Leo said finally. Trinity perked up and her face brightened. She nodded and urged him to go on.

Leo made a head motion towards the radio and said, "No more Daft Punk."

Trinity crossed her arms before she whacked him in the chest with the back of a hand that she freed just to do that.

"Okay, okay. Just kidding! Daft Punk can stay. But I do have a _real _condition," Leo said with a light chuckle. He looked at her once his laughter died and grew serious. "We take baby steps."

Trinity nodded and gave him a small smile. "Deal."

No more words were needed. Leo pulled Trinity into a hug. He held her tighter than he usually did and aimlessly played in her hair. He could do that now. After all, she was his girlfriend. His **girlfriend. **He still found it hard to believe. _I never thought that this could be possible,_ Leo thought to himself as he held her. _I never thought that a girl could see past what I am and want to be with me. But Trinity did. And now, I don't wanna lose her. She means too much to me._

Trinity pulled away and leaned in again, but this time their lips met. She lightly kissed him on his mouth and felt as if she had just stuck her finger in a socket; it was that electric.

"I will admit, I do enjoy that!" Leo said with a grin when they broke apart, his worries and fears pushed to the back of his mind for the moment. Trinity laughed and pulled him in again for another kiss. This one was deeper, longer, more passionate. Though she had kissed him first, Leo had very easily taken control away from her. Slowly, Trinity felt herself being pushed down onto the bench. She gently pushed Leo away from her, and he immediately pulled away from her, leaving her lips cold and alone.

"Baby steps remember?" Trinity warned as she waved a finger.

Leo looked disappointed for a moment. "Right. Baby steps. Thanks for the reminder. Didn't mean to um…you know, take it that far."

"Hey, once we get out of the "baby step" phase, that won't be much of a problem now will it?"

Trinity shrugged and placed her head on his shoulder. "Should we go tell the others now?" She asked him.

"Nah. we don't have to. They've been eavesdropping the entire time." Leo said casually with a shrug. Trinity on the other hand did not take the news as well.

"What?!" she exclaimed. She sprung to her feet and stormed out of the barn. She walked around the side where she found Leo's brothers huddled together against the side of the barn with their ears pressed to the wall.

"Hey!" she barked at them sharply.

The trio suddenly became completely still and silent.

"I can still see you, idiots! How long were you standing there?!" Trinity shouted as she walked closer. Her face burned as she stormed closer but she didn't know what it was from. It could have been the embarrassment, the anger and frustration, or even the way Leo kissed her a few moments ago.

"Long enough to know that Casey owes _me_ 20 bucks! What's today? Sunday? Oh yeah! He owes me **big time**!" Raph said proudly with a grin on his face.

"You bet on when me and Leo were gonna get together?!" Trinity shouted.

"And I _won_!"

"Yeah, 20 dollars. What are you gonna do? Stroll into a store and by yourself some shame?" Trinity shot back Raph. Raph froze and looked at her with a grimace on his face.

"What did you just say?" he growled he stepped closer.

Trinity crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her head. "You heard me."

"Why you little…! Don't think that I won't slap that little head of yours right off your neck just because you're dating my brother now!" Raph countered as he stepped just inches away from her.

"Go ahead then!" Trinity shot back with a smirk.

Raph growled. "Bitch."

"Asshole."

At that moment, Leo came out the barn and walked to Trinity's side. His brothers grinned at him as Trinity slipped her hand into his and squeezed it tightly. She looked at Raph and stuck out her tongue. "You were saying, Raphie?"

Raphe growled and lunged at her, ready to strangle her but Don and Mikey intercepted and caught him when he was just inches away from Trinity who snickered and hugged Leo's arm tighter.

"Aww! You two are just _adorable_!" Mikey cooed. He spoke as if her were talking to a bunch of two-year-olds rather than two teenagers. He stepped between them and gathered either one of them under his arms. The newly announced couple did not seem to be comfortable with the contact at all.

"The two of you shall be the second cutest couple to ever walk the earth!" Mikey said dramatically as he stared up at the sky.

Trinity wrinkled her nose. "Only second?" She asked.

"Yeah, Casey and April are in first. Don't bother trying to catch up to them." Mikey said with a dismissing wave of his hand. "But back to you guys! You shall the second greatest couple to walk the earth! Rivaled only by the ginger and the bonehead. And you shall be called…Trineo!"

Raph deadpanned and kicked a wave of snow in Mikey's direction as Don began to slam his head against the barn wall.

Leo sighed and shook his head. "No dude…just…_no_."

"Aww, I actually think it's kind of cute." Trinity said with a laugh. "Trineo! It's fun to say too!"

Leo looked down at her and smiled, as she beamed up at him. He still had so many concerns. He was still scared and weary, but at the moment it did not matter. If he was relationship with Trinity was going to fail, then so be it. But until then, he promised himself he was going to enjoy every second of it, until their time ran out.


	17. Chapter 17

**(A/N): A freaking Christmas chapter in summer…talk about bad timing. -_- Anyways, just a quick note. I fast forwarded and this chapter takes place a few weeks after the previous one.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, but my OC. **

* * *

Trinity kneeled down at the foot of her bed and held up a sweater on either side of her. On her left was a dark red, hued sweater with a snowman's head in the middle of it, on her right was a green one, the color of a Christmas tree what decorated with sequins in the design of a snowflake. She had picked out a pair of jeans and winter boots, and had even curled her hair so that it bounced when she walked. She even dabbed on a little bit of make-up, which she would never wear on a normal night, but this one was different. Leo had invited her to a Christmas party with his family and friends. There were apparently a lot of them that she yet to meet, but then again she had only known the guys for about a couple of months.

Regardless, she wanted to introduce herself to them properly so that later on down the road, they could at least she was nice when they met her before they got to know her too well.

Therefore, with her outfit almost complete all that was left was a top to complete her. She did not feel like going through the mundane process of picking out anymore clothing so she decided make Leo do it.

"Okay, which one is the prettiest?" She asked him. She hovered each top in front of her as she waited for an answer.

Leo looked and glanced between both tops. "The one in the middle." He decided.

For a moment, Trinity looked down to see what shirt he had picked only to find her own tank top clad torso. She looked back and Leo and grinned. "Cute." She said with a small laugh.

"Indeed you are."

Trinity giggled and rolled her eyes. "Come one, Casanova just _pick _one."

"Alright, alright. Um…the red one." He said.

"The green one it is." Trinity said. She threw red shirt at a crestfallen, Leonardo and took the green one off the hook.

"Hey! I said the red one. Don't you trust my fashion sense?" Leo whined.

Trinity gave him pitiful smile. "Oh, sweetie." She cupped his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. "No."

Leo scoffed. "_Well _then looks like _someone _isn't getting their present." He said haughtily.

Trinity eyes widened and she squealed. "Present? Oooh! Gimme, gimme, gimme!" She demanded as she bounced up and down on the bed like a little kid.

"No. You hurt my feelings." Leo said. He pouted and turned away from her childishly. Trinity scowled and stuck her tongue out him.

"Oh, screw you!" She snapped. She got off the bed and went over to her dresser when she began to primp herself. She applied eyeliner and a little bit of lip-gloss. She observed her outfit in the mirror from just about every angle she could manage. Then she would go to primp her face again, and dab a little bit of her lip-gloss off then change her mind and add more. She had smoothed her top about ten times but still seemed unsatisfied with herself.

Leo lounged on her bed and aimlessly twirled a plastic candy cane in his as he watched her obsess over her appearance. She had wiped off her lip-gloss again and was about to apply a different shade, when Leo stopped her. He trapped her in the hook of the plastic candy cane her held and yanked backwards onto the bed.

She frowned at him and slapped his arm. "What's with you! You made me smear my gloss!"

"What's with you? You're acting and nervous. You're going to a Christmas party, not meeting the president." Leo told her.

"I know, I just…I wanna make a good impression. You know, before they actually get to know me and all." She said a small laugh.

"Well I can tell you this much, no one there is going to judge you by your appearance. I'd hate to break it to you, but my family and I don't hang around many super models. I already told you that 75% of the guest there aren't even human."

Trinity laughed and rolled her eyes. "I _know_, I know. I just always get like this when I'm nervous." She said with a shrug. "You sure they're gonna like me?"

"Of course will. Don't bite any heads off and you'll be fine." Leo assured her. He placed a light kiss on her forehead. A car honked outside the building and Leo glanced at the clock on Trinity's wall.

"That's, April and Casey." He said. He began to dress himself in the disguise. In the time took him to put on his boots, large pants, coat, hat and gloves; Trinity had only fastened Melody's bracelet around her wrist and put on her own coat. She looked at Leo and frowned.

"Dammit, you know I hate it when you do that." She hissed him as she stormed out of the bedroom.

"When I do what?" Leo asked innocently as he followed her of the room.

"That freaky ninja stuff! Non one should be able to move that fast." She scolded. She turned away to swipe her shoulder bag off the coffee table and when she looked back, Leo was in front of her.

"You mean like that?" He asked her with a grin. Trinity frowned and had a mini-tantrum. She began whine and pound on his chest with her fist while she stomped her feet rapidly. "Stooooop iiiiiiiiiiiit!"

Leo threw his head back and laughed as she stormed pass him and out into the hallway. He apologized to her almost 50 times between when she locked her door and when they finally got outside.

As Leo and Trinity approached the fan, they heard the sound of a loud argument. Trinity was about to assume Casey had done something stupid, but realized that the voice April argued with was female. And it sounded very intense.

Leo stopped in tracks and hung his head. "Oh no…I forgot."

"What?" Trinity asked him. Casey's voice suddenly intervened and the van started to rock slightly as all three voices escalated.

"Casey's mother. She was gonna being joining us this year and she spent the night with April and Casey last night so that she could spend more time with Casey this Christmas." Leo said in an annoyed voice.

"Well what's the problem is she a pain in the ass or something?" Trinity asked she glanced the van which had erupted in total chaos. Trinity saw Casey's head slam against the window a couple of times.

"No we're cool with her. It's April that has a problem with her. Those two have been at each other's throats since they met. They can't stand each other. It must be a war in there and do _not _wanna caught in the middle of a fight between those two." Leo said with a shudder.

"So what do we do?" Trinity asked.

"We walk." Leo replied as if it was the obvious answer. When he saw her shocked expression he laughed. "Oh that's right, you're from Florida. Look, it's not that bad, at least not as bad as being in _there_."

The two had started to walk off when Casey spotted them from inside the van.

"Oh no you don't." He muttered to himself. He hastily undid the lock on the door and spilled out of the van. He stumbled and slid in the snow until he regained his balance on a light pole. He looked a mess.

His long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He had on a bright red Santa Claus turtleneck sweater, a leather jacket that clashed with the sweater, a pair of boots that looked like he was about got hike up Mount Everest, a bright green scarf and reindeer antlers. As he approached, Trinity had to shield her nose from the potent scent of the two different colognes he was wearing. "Leo! Trinity! There you are, we here to pick you up." He said with a crazed smile.

Trinity looked her over, her mouth agape. "Jesus, Casey what happened to you? You like the love child of Mrs. Claus and Calvin Klein."

Casey sighed and rolled her eyes. "April and Ma couldn't agree on how to dress me for the Christmas party so…they both did it."

Trinity and Leo exchanged glances and then burst out in laughter while Casey looked on with a frown.

"Hey, it ain't funny!"

"It is from where we're standing." Trinity replied. She pulled her digital camera out of her bag. "Smile!" She said, and before Casey could stop her she snapped a picture and saved it. "Oh this is _so _going on the internet." She muttered as she slid the camera back in her bag.

Casey's eye twitched and exhaled calmly. "Can we just get to the party please?"

Leo looked up at him with wide eyes. "You're actually gonna show up like that with Raph and Mikey there? Why not just jump into the Hudson? It would still be suicide but it'd be way less painful."

"I don't have a choice. If I take any of it off, I'm screwed. April won't have Christmas sex with me and Ma wouldn't make me cookies!" Casey snapped. "Now can we please just go now?"

"Actually, we decided we would just walk. You know, get a work out. Enjoy the city." Leo said as he put his arm around Trinity and hugged her close to him. When she did not play along right away, he squeezed her harder.

"Yup! Just gonna take a stroll. It's my first Christmas in New York and I would _love _to walk around a little. We'll meet you at the lair! See ya, sucka!" She said with a salute, as she and Leo started to back away.

"The hell you will! Get your asses in that van _right _now! I can't stay in there with those two by myself any longer! I'm gonna go nuts!" He yelled at them through his clenched teeth. "Do you know what they're fighting about right now? _Cranberry sauce_! Freaking _Cranberry Sauce_!" He turned to Leo, his eyes full of desperation. "Look your girlfriend can do whatever, but I need another man in there with me!"

Trinity and Casey exchanged looks but neither looked convinced.

"Riiiiight." Trinity said as she slowly backed away. She hoped Casey would not noticed but instead fixed his gaze on her, his eyes crazed and intense. She imagined that this was what a zebra felt like before they were pounced on by a lion. "We're just gonna-

"I will give you 100 bucks if you get in the van." Casey offered desperately.

Well that got their attention. "Each?" Trinity prodded.

Casey glared at her again. "No, not _each_! Who do you think you're dealing with here? Donald Trump? You each get fifty."

Trinity and Leo exchanged glances. Trinity shrugged. "I'm sold. How bad can it be?"

Casey broke out into a smile and began to laugh. He threw is head back and cackled like a madman. He took Trinity and Leo under either of his arms as she made his way back to the van with his head tilted back as he howled at the sky. He opened the door and motioned for them to climb into the van.

When they first saw them, it looked like Mrs. Jones was about to try and rip April's hair out. She looked much more like Casey than Trinity thought she would. If she were a couple decades younger, they could have been twins. They had same olive skin, deep blue eyes and dark hair. She had on a sweater that matched Casey's, jeans and black boots.

"Hi Mrs. Jones. Hi April you two look wonderful tonight." Leo said with a friendly wave.

April smiled at him. "Thanks, Leo. So how are y-

"Leonardo! Honey, so good to see you again!" Mrs. Jones interrupted. April glared as she made a show of hugging Leo tightly and kissing him on both cheeks. Her eyes turned to Trinity and she smiled.

"And you must be, _Trinity_. Casey told me about you." She said. Her voice was slightly raspy and had the same deep Brooklyn accent as Casey.

Mrs. Jones gave Trinity a kind smile and took her hand in a firm grip. "Hello, dear. I'm Bernadetta, Casey's mother but you can just call me Bernie."

Trinity returned the smile. "Nice to meet you, Bernie."

Mrs. Jones smiled. "Oh aren't you sweet, and so _pretty _too. Oh, you're gorgeous." She said as she looked Trinity over. "And with hardly any make-up on. I always appreciate girls who know how to embrace their _natural _ beauty, unlike SOME PEOPLE! Who wanna parade around looking like a _hussie _while they're dating my _son_!"

Bernie glared at April as she spoke. April, who was not wearing any make-up aside from red lipstick that actually complimented her pale skin, (though no one thought it would be wise to say so) took off her seat belt and was about to lunge when Casey grabbed a cleaning bottle filled with water from the floor and sprayed her with it relentlessly.

She turned away and shielded her face with her hands. "Casey! Stop it!"

Bernie laughed at her but stopped when Casey sprayed her as well. She sputtered and coughed as she climbed back into her seat and plopped down.

"Now if you two don't behave, _neither _of you are getting your present!" He barked. Surprisingly, they listened to him. Both women glared at each other before they turned away and pouted like five-year olds.

Casey exhaled and stepped aside. He motioned to the van. "You carriage awaits."

* * *

By the time they reached the lair, Trinity had tried to tuck and roll several times, and had Leo not been there to intercept her, she probably would have succeeded one of those times, but unfortunately she had endure the entire ten minute ride to the lair.

Once they arrived, Casey, Leo and Trinity poured out of the van, exhausted from the ride over. April and Bernie climbed out behind them. Casey opened his arms from a hug from his mother but she punched him in the stomach. "Shame on you! How dare you not stand up for your mother? I taught you better than better that Arnold."

"_Arnold_?" Trinity said teasingly, as she nudged Casey. But he ignored her.

April walked by and he grabbed her wrist lightly and puckered his lips. "Have I told you how beautiful you are lately? How about kiss gorgeous?" He said between gasps as she clutched his gut.

"Oh no thanks. I wouldn't wanna get all of _hussie _germs on you!" She snapped at him, before she stormed off as well. She had walked away a few feet before she turned around, came back, slapped Casey's head and then walked off again.

Trinity sighed. She walked over to Casey and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with a smile, glad she was there to comfort him. "Awww, no Christmas sex and homemade cookies for you."

Casey apparently took the sarcastic comment as sympathy and said, "Thanks, for support kid. I just don't know what their problem-

"Yeah, cool story bro. Yo, where's my fifty bucks?" She asked as she held out her hand. Casey scowled at her. He snatched his wallet out of his pocket and took her pay out of it. He hand her a crumpled fifty-dollar bill as promised and she took it. She held it up the light to observe it and then slid in her pocket. "Thank you!"

And with that she skipped off, and left Leo and Casey behind.

"God, I hate women." Casey said as he sat up and leaned against the van. "What about you? Trinity giving you a hard time yet?

"Of course she is. It's _Trinity_. But, she's worth it." Leo said with a laugh.

Casey chuckled. "That's how you know you got the right one, man. I'm happy for you two."

Leo smiled and clapped Casey on the shoulder. "Thanks, Case." He said. "You know you…you promised me fifty bucks too and-

Casey snarled.

"You know what, never mind you can get back to me later on…or whenever you aren't insane. You know, what just forget it all together. Okay, I'm gonna go now." Leo jogged off and met Trinity at the manhole. He helped her down and they began to walk towards the lair. April and Bernie had apparently already made it there, because they were nowhere in sight. As they walked, Trinity unexpectedly slid her hand into Leonardo's and squeezed. He returned the squeeze and pulled her closer to him.

"Come on, you aren't still nervous are you?" He asked her. Trinity did not answer; she just shrugged and looked away from him.

Leo stopped and turned Trinity to face him, he placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Okay. _Talk_."

Trinity sighed. "It's just that…I'm so…_new_ you know? I mean here you are with guys you've for_ever_. You've been on these crazy adventures with them all. Other dimensions, freaking _outer _space, fighting ninja and gangsters. Aliens, monsters, crazy government people and then you have…_me_." Trinity said. She threw her hands in the air and let them fall limply to their sides. "I just…I don't feel like I belong in there Leo."

Leo gently lifted her chin so she could meet his eyes. He ran his thumb over her cheek. "Trinity they don't have anything on you."

Trinity scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious." Leo said with a smile. "You're really telling me you don't know what _we _have that I don't with them?"

Trinity raised an eyebrow. Before she could guess, Leo forced the words back down her throat with a kiss. Trinity was surprised at first, but went with it after a few seconds. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he encircled his own around her waist.

The sewer lid clattered behind them and the sound echoed through the tunnels. They two jumped apart from each other and Trinity was sad once the kiss was over. She wanted to pull him back for another one but knew that Casey would be coming that way and she was in no mood for an awkward moment.

"Oh, alright so we have, _that_. But-

"But _nothing_. Just because you aren't a ninja, or just because we haven't had any crazy adventures together doesn't make you inferior to anyone in there. You got that?"

Trinity smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I got that."

"Good. Besides, I couldn't do that with anyone in there…well I could but it would be _really _awkward and they would probably have a problem with me doing it again." Leo replied.

Trinity shrugged. "I wouldn't have a problem with you doing it again."

Leo smiled and wrapped his arms around her again, pulled her tightly against him and met her lips for another deep kiss. They had been lost in each other for about a minute when Casey finally walked by them. He rolled his eyes. "Get a room." He hissed as he walked by. "Unbelievable. Leo's getting more action than me tonight. _Leo_!" He muttered in a tone he thought was low enough for only him to hear.

They pulled apart again and laughed. "So, you ready to head the lair, where I am sure everyone will _love _you?" Leo asked.

Trinity smiled. She slipped out of his grasp and walked behind him. Without warning, she jumped onto his back and locked her legs and arms around him. "Onward to the party, noble steed!"

Leo made a horrible impression of a horse and took off down the tunnel. He moved so swiftly that Trinity felt as if she rode an eagle rather than a mutant turtle impersonating a horse. She swore they made it to the lair entrance in about three seconds flat. Once they reached the "brick-wall" at the end of the tunnel, Leo pulled the pipe that revealed the keypad.

Leo was about to enter the code when Trinity stopped him.

"Can I do it?" She asked him hopefully. She had only very recently learned the passcode to enter the lair after she started dating Leo. It made her feel rather special when Master Splinter finally revealed it to her. Of course she felt that he was comfortable with her around before, but when he gave her the entrance to the lair it seemed like an official handshake that declared his trust for her.

Leo smiled and stepped aside. "Sure you can, go ahead."

Trinity stepped forward over the keypad and examined it. "Don't tell me what it is. I got this. Donnie only told it to be about fifty times." She muttered. Her finger hovered over the keys and she entered the access code. The entire key pad turned green and they brick wall slid apart and revealed a pair metal doors that opened behind it.

"Yay!" She squealed. She looked up at Leo and smiled. "The little things you know." She said.

Leo grinned and gently shoved her inside. Once she crossed into the threshold her mind exploded on spot. Leo warned her that majority of them were not human, and told herself she was prepared for it. She at least believed that when she said it.

But now, not so much.

She did not know where to focus. In one corner of the room she saw, April and Don talking to a giant crocodile, robot a man who appeared the be homeless.

Leatherhead , Professor Honeycutt, and the Professor.

Leatherhead, Don , the Professor, and the Professor who _wasn't _an intergalactic robot would chuckle every now and then as she ranted about Casey's mother.

Leo said that he and his brothers referred to them as the Brainy Bunch as they were all apparently geniuses.

Don noticed her and waved at her. Leatherhead, the Professor and Honeycutt followed his gaze. Their eyes looked on her and Leo for a moment and then they waved and smiled warmly. Leatherhead's smile looked rather intimidating with all the sharp teeth and she was not able to tell if Professor Honeycutt smiled though. She returned, the gesture but in a trance like movement. She found herself mesmerized by them both; she was in no way frightened or disgusted by them. Intrigued was a better word. But still smiled at them.

She looked away from them and let her eyes wander around the room again. This time she found Raph having a hilarious conversation with a giant, bipedal triceratops over how many butts they have kicked. Casey walked by and Raph and the Triceratops took one look at him before they started to crack up. Casey just clenched his fist and made a beeline for the snack table.

He was…Traximas she believed. Raph looked up and nudged his friend. He pointed at Trinity, then Leo and made a kissing motion with his hands. Traximus laughed but still gave her friendly salute and she gave him another trance wave.

The rest of the room was no different. She saw Mikey talking with the Justice Force, robots with little pink aliens inside them talking to each other. There was a girl who looked about 16 years old that was talking to Casey. She had tanned skin and hair she had dyed entirely purple.

"Wow, pretty cool posse you have here." She said as she scanned the room.

"Yup," Leo agreed. "So, you ready to go and meet everyone?"

Trinity took a deep breath. "Lead the way."

* * *

Trinity meeting everyone else at the party was pretty much how she spent most of the evening. They were all very excepting to her, and she found it easier and easier to talk to them as she moved down the line. By the time an hour had passed, she was having a blast meeting the other guest. She had completely forgotten that she was apparently supposed to be nervous around.

Soon she found, herself plopped down on the couch with Leo as they watched the Charlie Brown Christmas special in the living pit as they sipped on hot chocolate and ate cookies. Trinity folded her legs next to her and snuggled close to Leo. The party had ended awhile go and all the guess had returned home to their own apartment, dimension, planet or not too distant home in the sewer. The only ones who remained in the lair were those who lived there, Trinity, April, Bernie and Casey.

April and Casey were currently having a bit too much fun under the mistletoe, as Mikey scarfed down whatever cookies were left in the kitchen. Master Splinter had retired to his room.

"That was _best _Christmas party. Ever." She said. "Thanks so much for inviting me." She pecked him and rested her head back on his shoulder.

"Of course. I'm glad you had fun. See you were all worried for _nothing_." He teased as he pinched her cheek.

He began to play with her curls. He would pull on and watch bounce back up and then repeat the process.

"What is with this hair fetish of yours?" Trinity asked with a laugh.

"Fetish is such a creepy word. I prefer the term, "obsessive fascination"." He replied as he continued aimlessly play with the curls. Trinity rolled her eyes and sipped her coco again. "Oh _you_." She said with a playful swat. The two began to kiss, when Raph and Don walked over.

Raph eyed the two and rolled his eyes. "Can you to try to swallow each other somewhere else? We already got April and Casey doing it. We don't need to see you guys making too." He said grumpily as he plopped down in the couch.

"What's wrong with you?" Trinity asked him. "At _this _particular moment I mean."

The others laughed while Raph just growled at her. "Keep it up and see how much of a smart mouth you are with no teeth."

"He's just upset because he never got Angel under the mistletoe tonight." Don teased. He stole a cookie off Trinity's plate and tossed it into his mouth. He seemed to be enjoying it until Raph slapped the back of his head so hard he spit it right back out on to Trinity's plate.

"Ew!" She shrieked. She glared at Don and slapped him on his arm. "Not cool man! Not. Cool. You just contaminated my cookies!" She said as she shoved the plate away. "Here, take the rest. I think if I eat one, may mutate."

"Highly unlikely." Donatello replied as he accepted the plate. "If it was our saliva that caused mutations, Leo would have mutated you a looong time ago."

Raph laughed and gave Don a high five. "Just for that, you redeemed yourself bro." He said. He then turned to Trinity and Leo and said, "Say, how far along are you two anyway? You slide into home or yet or you still stuck at first base."

"Watch it, Raph! What goes on between me and my girlfriend, is between and my girlfriend!" Leo snapped at his brother. Trinity nodded in agreement and stuck her tongue out at Raph who chuckled.

"Man, ain't _that _something you never expected to hear come out of Leo's mouth." Raph said. "I always imagined that _I _would the first and only one to get a girlfriend if I ever got the chance."

Don snorted. "Please, I could _build_ a girlfriend if I wanted to. I probably would have by now if you people would stop breaking the God damn toaster."

Everyone laughed light heartedly until April suddenly stormed into the living pit. She plopped down on the couch, grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. The other occupants wearily inched away from her. She came back up and buried her face in her hands.

Raph poked her shoulder. "You mad, bro?"

"Mad? Am I _mad_- Ugh! The _nerve_ of that woman!" April hissed out. She sat back and folded her arms over her chest. Don opened his arms for a hug and accepted it. She allowed him to pet her as she pouted.

Trinity sighed. "Hell has no fury like a pissed off redhead chick." She muttered into her mug.

April scoffed and sat up. "You know she thinks that this isn't my hair color! She thinks I'm…a _brunette_."

Don took a lock of her hair in his hand and observed it. "Well to be fair, it is pretty unnaturally bright- OW! Why does everyone keep slapping me!"

"Cause, you're a geek and it's fun." Raph said with a smirk as he slapped Don again.

"STOP IT! You're gonna damage my genius brain! How is it gonna make me a fortune one day if you people keep hitting it?" Don scolded as he rubbed his head.

"Hit? Hit what? I wanna hit something." Casey said as he approached. "What are we hitting?"

"Donnie's brain." Trinity answered with a smile as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"Sweet! My turn!" Casey said as he raised his hand.

"Do it and you will wake up with a squirrel growing out of your stomach tomorrow morning." Don warned. Casey faltered and Don grinned. "Yup, I can make that happened. You don't know what goes on in my lab."

April rested her hand on Casey's arm. "Trust me babe, it ain't pretty."

"No doubt in my mind about that." Casey as he catapulted himself over the couch. "And gimme my girlfriend back." He said as he pulled April away from Don and into his arms instead. They cuddled for about two seconds when Casey's mother appeared in the living pit.

"So, Arnold. When are you and this woman gonna give me grandchildren? Or is she not satisfying you enough for you to wanna try again?"

A mist of hot chocolate flew from Trinity's mouth. "DING! DING! DING!" She shouted.

"MA!" Casey cried in horror.

"THAT'S IT." April said, or rather growled. She lunged over Casey's lap and was about to pounce on Bernie, who already had her fist prepared.

Casey caught her around the waist and stood up with, her slung over his shoulder. His mother and her only continued to exchange vile insults and sissy slap each other.

Raph looked around and raised his hands as if he was confused. "And no one is videotaping this becaauuse…why exactly?" He asked.

"Don't worry bro, I'm getting it all!" Mikey's voice called from the kitchen.

Leo looked at Trinity and said, "Perhaps I should take you home now." He said as he watched poor Casey try to keep his wife and girlfriend apart. He had to keep his mother at bay with his foot while April struggled against his grasp from where she was slung over his shoulder. Raph and Don simply watched the entire scene and laughed hysterically.

"And miss this show? No way."

"_Trinity_!"

"Oh, alright fine. You go ahead and get ready, I'm gonna tell Master Splinter goodnight." She said. Leo nodded and they left the living pit and went their separate ways. Trinity approached the screen door that led to Master Splinters chambers. She was about to knock when his voice said,

"Enter."

Trinity smiled and rolled her eyes. She opened the door and slipped inside. She found him at his table drinking tea and flipping through a book. "Leo should really teach me how to do that someday in these lessons he's forcing me to endure."

Master Splinter chuckled. "It requires _much _meditation and practice with strengthening your senses."

Trinity shuddered. "Ugh, never mind. You lost me after meditation." She said walked over to the table. She smiled and looked around the room. It was _very _rare that she was ever in there, but whenever she was, she loved it. She could spend the rest of her life in there. It was so quiet and relaxing. The aroma from the candles that lit the room and the soothing sound of the small fountain that sat in the corner made her want to curl up in there and spend the rest of her days lazily enjoying the peace and ambiance it had to offer.

"You really need to hook me up with your home designer. Maybe if I had a room like this, I be less…me." She said she let her eyes wander around the room.

"He hasn't been in here has he? Did he find it?" She asked. Master Splinter laughed stood to his feet. He went over to a shelf behind him and retrieved a small, rectangular box wrapped in festive paper behind him with a green bow on top. Trinity accepted the box eagerly and held it close to her. She concealed in a pocket inside her coat.

"Thanks you so much for hiding it for me. He practically turned my place upside down looking for it." Trinity said with a smile. "You think he'll like it?"

"Of course he will, my child. You put so much work and so much of your heart into it. I am touched you did so much to please my son."

Trinity smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Master Splinter." She told him. She kneeled down next to him and hugged him. Master Splinter's breath hitched slightly in surprise but he still returned the gesture. She kissed his forehead and stood back up. "Goodnight Master Splinter." She said with a kind smile.

"Good night, Trinity." He replied warmly.

Trinity exited the room, with a wave and made her way towards the exit. Leo jogged past her, dressed in his disguise.

"Gimme one seconds, need ask father a question." He told. She nodded and migrated over to living area to say good-bye to the others. Once she was gone, Leo slipped inside Master Splinter's room and slid the door closed behind him.

"She was just in here? Did she find it?" He asked his father.

* * *

Leo sat on Trinity's couch with her gift in his lap as he waited for her come out of the shower. The TV was on in front of him but he did not really pay it much mind, instead he took interest in a shelf that sat next to it. On were a few books and pictures. He spotted brown one that had a spine that read, "My family book." in golden cursive. He set her present on the couch and covered it with a pillow. He snuck over to the bookcase, and took the book from the shelf. He then plopped down on the couch and opened it.

He immediately smiled at the first picture he saw.

It was of newborn girls. Each a spitting image of the other. They were both bundled up in pink blankets, and had pink hats on. Their eyes were wide open and they stared at each other with quizzical looks, as trying to find out why they were staring at an exactly copy of themselves.

Leo turned the page, and this time he laughed.

The book had jumped about five years into the future. The twins were older now, and now that they were, Leo realized just how similar they were each other. Their thick, dark hair was styled in large pigtails and bright bows. They even dressed the exact same way. Bright neon shorts, a Hello Kitty tank top and sandals on their feet. One of them smiled brightly for the camera and posed, while the other appeared to be yelling at something cut off from the picture. Her small fist clenched, and her faced scrunched up.

"Oh, Trinity. Some things just don't change." Leo muttered to himself.

He continued to flip through the book, each page from a different time in the girl's lives. He saw plenty of landscaping from Florida and felt envious of how much better it looked than New York. The palm trees, the beautiful beaches, the clear blue sky, and of course freaking Disney World. He wondered why Trinity would ever want to leave such a place for a pollution hotspot like Manhattan.

He turned to the next page and gasped.

"Woah." He breathed.

The picture looked rather recent. Taken about a year ago perhaps. It showed Trinity and Melody on beach. Their arms slung around each other as they both held up a peace sign with their free hand. It was almost scary how identical they were. Not a single thing that made one different from the other.

They both had their brown hair down, that had been caught in a gentle breeze when the picture was taken. They both had the exact same thing. A yellow bikini stop with black stripes and grass skirts. Behind them was a dark night sky crystal blue waters and a white sand beach. The beach was lit torches aligned the shore and bonfires that had been set up by tourist. The photo looked like something out of a vacation pamphlet. Leo stared at the picture, ashamed that was unable to decide which one was his girlfriend. He was so invested in his mission to tell them apart, he did not notice when Trinity snuck up behind him.

"Wanna phone a friend, for help?" She asked.

Leo jumped so hard he almost dropped the book on the floor. Trinity giggled and shook her head. "I didn't think you could every scare a ninja."

"I'm sorry, I just noticed it on the shelf and-

Trinity placed her finger over his lips to silence him. She rested her head on his should and looked down at the picture with a sad smile. Her eyes immediately began to water.

"I remember that day." She said wistfully as she ran her hand over the picture. "Spring Break 2011. April 5th. Kapula Bay in Hawaii. We were with our parents on vacation and it was our…second…no, third. It was our third day there. Mom and dad took a day to themselves and went for date night while we went a luau on the beach."

Leo nodded and resumed staring at the picture. "I knew you said Melody was your twin but…_wow_ I didn't expect you to be that identical. I thought there would be a mole, or a birthmark or something. It's like someone took a picture of staring at your reflection." Leo said as he stared at the picture in astonishment.

"Well Melody got a tattoo on our 18th birthday. That's the only way people could tell us apart aside from Melody's bracelet. She decided not to bring with her on this vacation though. Before that, even our family couldn't tell which was which. We always fooled our teachers. Melody took my math class for a whole semester once, and I took her place in gym sometimes." Trinity said.

"If you don't mind me asking…what's the story behind that bracelet." Leo asked with a hand motion to the piece of jewelry on her wrist.

"It's apparently been in our family for generations, I don't know how many though. It's always passed down to the first born daughter of each family. I don't know why that's…just the way it was." Trinity said with a shrug. "Anyways, I'm technically the baby in the family. Melody was born ten minutes earlier than me. So she got it."

Leo nodded and the apartment was silent for a moment, as the two of them stared at the picture. A drop of water fell onto the picture, and then another. Leo looked over at Trinity and sure enough her face was streaked with tears and her eyes were puffy and red. Without word he pulled her into him and let her cry silently into his shoulder, just as he had done many nights before. He did not speak to her the entire time she cried, her just held tightly and let that alone do the talking for him.

Soon her tears subsided to simple sniffles and she pulled away from Leo's now wet shoulder. She began to dab his shoulder with the bottom of her housecoat.

Leonardo pulled her into his lap. He pulled her hand away from his shoulder and kissed it lightly before he enclosed it and held it tightly in his own. They were silent again for a few moments.

"This was my first Christmas without her." Trinity said suddenly. Leo did not respond, he only wrapped his arms around her even tighter and began to rub her back. Trinity leaned down and kissed his the top of his head before she continued. I thought I was gonna spend it sulking around all day but…you didn't let that happen." She said. Her voice started to crack again. She tilted Leo's chin up so he was facing her, the bottom of his mask was damp with tears, which silently crept down his face. She undid the knot on his mask and found wet eyes staring back at her. She cupped Leo's face in her hands and ran her thumbs over his. He leaned down and kissed his forehead and then rested her cheek on it. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug and let another tear slip from her eyes. "Thank you." She said.

Leo propped his chin in her chest and looked up to face her. He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear; he gave her a nod and a small smile.

Trinity wiped her eyes one last time and stood up. "Stay there." She told him softly. She placed a light kiss on his cheek before she left the room. Moments later, she returned with the box she had earlier. She sat next to Leo on the couch and offered it to him. "Merry Christmas, Leonardo."

Leo chuckled and accepted the gift. He pulled the ribbon away and began to gently undo the wrapping paper. Trinity rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh just open it!"

Leo raised his eye ridge and shrugged. He stood and placed the box on the coffee table and stepped off to the side. He unsheathed his katanas and slashed them. The paper fell from the box in four neat sections and revealed a cardboard box. He returned his katana to their scabbards. He grinned at Trinity and winked.

"Show off." She muttered.

Leo laughed as he opened the box, inside was a Japanese scroll.

Trinity bit her bottom lip in anticipation. "Go on! Open it."

"Okay! Okay!" Leo said. He unrolled the scroll and revealed writing in Japanese calligraphy. There were blots of black ink here and there, and some of the symbols were way off. It read,

_Dear Leo,_

_First let me start off by apologizing for the horrible craftsmen ship of this letter. I'm going off of nothing but Google translate and your dad right now, so reading this won't be a picnic._

Leo grinned like a fool and looked over at Trinity who practically shook with excitement. He looked back down at the scroll and continued reading.

_It's pretty amazing to thing that just a few months we were just a couple people chatting online. One of us a beautiful 18 year old girl who was always broke and in troube, the other a 19 year old guy with some serious baggage. Now, look at us. If there is one thing I have learned from meeting you, it is that life has a way of throwing the most bizarre things at you and then making it turn into something wonderful. You have truly been a blessing to me, Leo. A silver lining is this storm cloud of a life I have. You are the best thing to happen to me in a very long time and I am grateful that you are in my life. I am afraid I have to go now. I am running out of ink and my fingers are cramping. This is the fourth time I have had to write this damn thing, you had better appreciate it or else! Anyways, I just wanted you to know that how special you are to me, and that you can always count me to be there for you, because God knows I can count on you to do the same._

_ Signed,_

_ Love, Trinity_

The scroll trembled in Leo's hand. He looked over at Trinity. "I hate you."

Her face fell and she frowned. "Why? What did I do? Did I accidently call you or a monkey or something?"

"No. I hate you because you totally out did me with presents." He said with a smile. He opened his arms. "Get over here."

Trinity stood in the couch and launched herself at Leo who caught with ease. He leaned in and kissed her deeply. He set her down and they pulled apart. "My turn." He told her with a smirk. He went over the couch and pulled out a small scabbard wrapped in a bow.

Trinity squealed and clapped her hands. He held it out to her and she accepted it. She held it next to her ear and shook it. "I wonder what it is." She asked herself.

"Just open it you goof! But be careful!"

Trinity snickered as she undid the ribbon and pulled removed the scabbard to reveal a single beautiful, sleek 12-inch blade. Trinity ran a finger over the edge.

"It's real…it's a sword and it's real! Oh my god! I love it!"

"Easy there, girl. It's not a katana, it's a _tanto_." He told her. "Not exactly, a katana but still very sharp, so be careful with it."

"It's beautiful." Trinity said she observed her reflection in the blade's surface.

"Thanks…I forged it myself." He said with slide pride. Trinity gave him an impressed smile.

"Did you now?" She asked.

"Yeah, I've had to replace my katana a few times. When you have to fix these things as much as I do, you get pretty good at it." He said. "Look a little closer, what else do you see?"

Trinity squinted, at first she saw nothing but then saw that at the base of the blade, her name was carved in Japanese symbols. She only recognized it from how many times she had to sign her name when she had repeatedly re-write Leo's letter.

"Oh, Leo…I love it." She said. "But I have no idea how to use it."

"That's why you start training with it, this weekend."

Trinity frowned. "Why I gotta wait so long?"

"You wanna start _now_?" Leo offered.

Trinity sheathed her blade and set it down. "Tomorrow actually. _First _thing tomorrow." She said. "There's something else I wanna do right now." She said matter-of-factly.

She walked over to the stereo that sat in her living room put a CD inside. The small apartment filled with the classic Christmas song, "The Christmas Song".

Trinity walked back over to Leo and bowed courteously. She rose again she offered her hand. "May I have this dance, Sir Leonardo Hamato?"

Leonardo smiled and then cleared his throat. He stiffened and then said, "It would be my honor, Madam Trinity Isabelle Love."

Trinity stepped forward and placed her arms around Leo's neck, while he put his own around her waist and they waltzed around the apartment just like that. Trinity slid her hands down to rest on his plastron and sighed. "See. This isn't so bad now is it?" She asked him in a low whisper.

"I'm dancing. It will _always _"so bad"." Leo responded.

Trinity slapped him on his plastron and giggled. She raised her head and met his lips for a kiss before she placed her head back his plastron.

"Okay, that made it a little better." He admitted in defeat. Trinity's form shook as she laughed at the comment. Leo placed his cheek on her forehead and began to run his hands through her hair gently.

"Huh," Trinity said suddenly. Her gaze was cast upwards. "Would you look at that. A _mistletoe_."

"Oh so, we need a mistletoe now?" Leo asked her. Trinity shrugged.

"Course not. But who are we to break tradition?" Leo opened his mouth to respond when Trinity's mouth met his and stopped him "Don't answer that." She moaned into him. Leo obeyed. He hefted her up a little so that her feet hovered a couple inches above the ground, and continued kissed her deeply.

At that moment, a volcano could have erupted while an asteroid hit the earth and Godzilla tapped danced in time square and he swore he would not have noticed. At that moment, he and Trinity were Earth's only inhabitants as they kissed and waltzed across her living room.

_Oh yeah._ He thought to himself. _Best. Christmas. Ever. _

_**And so I'm offering this simple phrase.**_

_**From kids from one, to ninety-two.**_

_**Though it's been said,**_

_**many times, many ways.**_

_**Merry Christmas,**_

_**to you.**_

* * *

A sly grin formed on his face at the sight in front of him. He chuckled as he continued to stare intently at the orb. It slightly lit the small dank room as it hovered in the air. He had seen the entire night they spent together, as well as many other moments they shared. Unbeknownst the them, he had been watching them, for quite some time. Waiting to see where there relationship would go. And just how much damage his vengeance would inflict.

"It appears as if, Leonardo has made a new friend." He said as he watched his nemesis and the girl waltz around in the orb. They kissed and he growled in disgust. He stood and began to pace the small room.

The idea had come to him very suddenly. The perfect plan, in his eyes. But he could not complete it alone.

"Turn my own father against me?" He asked aloud, his voice as venomous as a snake. He snatched a sword off the ground and slid it into a scabbard on his back. He assessed himself with various other weapons as well that he concealed in his robes.

"Cause me to be banished, from _my own kingdom_! And force _me_ to live like filth?" He shouted with disdain. He swatted away various items that sat on a small table.

"Ruin my _only_ chance at _unlimited _power?!" He hissed. He bended down to pick of a grotesque mask that had been carelessly tossed to the side and secured it tightly to his face. He leaned against the wall and groaned. His hand slid into his robes and with one swift movement, and an anguished scream she threw a ninja star at the orb. It sliced directly through Trinity's head with perfect precision and the orb disbanded in to a fog that eventually dissolved and returned the room to its dark desolate state.

His fist clenched tightly and he smiled like a madman beneath his mask. "You will pay the ultimate price for what you have cost me, Leonardo." He went over the wall and picked up a small stone. With he began to draw on the wall. Just a bunch of random markings at first glance, they formed a circle formed from various symbols. He mumbled a string of words in native tongue and the circle glowed. "The ultimate price." He said again before he stepped through the circle and vanished.


End file.
